Suit Square
by Asterixa
Summary: Sequel to Whore Street. Spring is in the City, and Sasuke has gotten over Naruto! Whose turn is it to be angsted over now? Not anyone expected. Also GaaNaru's settling in, KiShi and KakaIru fluff, behindthe scenes ZabuHaku, LeeNeji. YAOI. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Hey! Look who's back!

Okay, so I have started this. A sequel.

This will (probably/hopefully) deal with Sasuke's happy end(I know, I didn't really think he deserved it either, but...), NaaGaru domestication stuff(as in – what now?), I'd love to put some ZabuzaHaku in here to show how wonderfully hate/love they are, and... well. Oh right, and KakashiIruka's problems with Kakashi's overactive libido.

Yeah.

WAAAAAAAAAH! God, I'm really forgetful. Of course there'll also be some LeeNeji. After all... I don't think Neji's uncle knows yet – or does he?°cackles evilly°

We'll see...

I probably won't be able to update as quickly on this one. My mother won't be gone, y'see.

Thanks again to all of my magnificent reviewers!

And to all those who missed my oneshot "Possibilities", read it. It's kind of the setting of the stage for this one.

Naruto doesn't belong to me.

Randomness: Subway to Sally, "SOS".

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Suit Square

The square was busy in the sunlight, suit-wearing men and women hurrying over the street and sidewalks. The "park" of concrete blocks was filled with people, young mothers with baby carriages, couples, and a few homeless people, their pigeons clucking around them. The soaring skyscrapers gleamed in the light, the glass reflecting it back so that the buildings became brilliant towers of flaming whiteness.

In the 'park', the homeless had grouped together at one of the concrete benches, joking and sharing a bottle of wine and a pizza. A couple still had their caps and cups standing out, waiting for some passersby to have sympathy with them and give them money or food. What with the beautiful weather, many did.

The oldest hobo, a grey-bearded, wiry little man, was telling a story about the hottest summer the City had ever seen, sometime back in the early 21st century. The others were half-listening, and side conversations broke out often. The wine bottle was swiftly getting empty, and only two pieces of greasy pizza remained in the box, which one of them had found in the trash.

Two of the hobos weren't paying any attention at all. They were sitting beside the bench, leaned against the low concrete base of one of the massive gray sculptures that served as 'art' here. A scruffy dog lay curled around their feet, fast asleep, and a cap stood in front of them, already rather full with small chips and candy. Not that they cared. They were too preoccupied with each other to notice it.

Though most passersby favored them with amused grins before dropping chips into the cap, some looked pointedly away, muttering insults under their breath. The kids didn't care – well, one of the kids didn't care.

"Kiba, you idiot. Quit." The cold, breathless voice came from the younger kid, after he'd finally managed to free himself from a long kiss.

The shaggy-haired boy opposite him just grinned. "Why?"

"Because. It's nice weather."

Kiba cocked his head and looked incredibly confused. "Uh... come again?"

The other kid adjusted the black goggles that covered his eyes and straightened his clothes. "It's nice weather, and I want to enjoy it."

Kiba rolled his eyes. "Shino, explain? How is making out not enjoying the weather?"

Shino shrugged. "Well, while we're 'making out' I can't exactly feel the sun on my face or see anything. How is that enjoying good weather?"

Kiba was silent for a moment, then he burst out laughing. "Okay, whatever."

The dog stirred at their feet, his ears twitching. He got to his feet with a silent yawn, turned around, snuggled into Shino's side, and promptly fell asleep again. Shino raised an eyebrow. "Mutt."

Kiba chuckled, stroking the dog's back. "Admit it, you love Akamaru."

Shino didn't answer, tilting his face to the sky. A woman stopped before them and dropped a chip in the cap, and Kiba grinned toothily after her. "Thanks, lady!"

She cast him an embarrassed glance before hurrying on.

Shino sighed and turned away from the sky. Spring was always much too short in the City; two weeks of beautiful weather, then the summer rains would start. And those wouldn't stop until autumn's drizzly greyness arrived, leading to the cold, icy winter. It all had something to do with some weather system that the State had implemented decades ago. The shitty thing had completely scrambled up the normal weather patterns, and the later generations were left to deal with it. Meaning; two weeks of sun in the spring, and one week of it in the autumn. Period.

The black-haired boy frowned down at his belt, where a few plastic containers hung, filled with a sprinkling of earth and greenery. Small insects crawled over the leaves and twigs he'd left for them, growing steadily. They were for him what Akamaru was for Kiba, and he was glad that they'd survived the winter. It had been a very cold one, even by the City's standards.

Kiba busied himself with sifting through the pile of cel-chips and candy in their collecting cap, counting the money and sorting out the better lollipop flavors. On the bench, the old hobo's story had ended. The wine bottle stood empty next to him, and the pizza box had been shoved under the seats. The pigeons that flapped and cooed around them were settling down for a rest, their gray feathers glinting in the sun.

"Hey man, we could go. There's enough here to buy the whole Konoha dinner and still get that book you wanted."

Shino shrugged. "All right. Let's go then."

After slipping the money into their pockets, waking Akamaru – Shino did this with an almost evil glee – and mumbling farewells to the other hobos, they made their way out of the park. One of the homeless men, watching them go, asked, "Who are they? They don't usually live in the park."

The old hobo cackled. "Nah, they're too high and mighty for Suit Square. They just make their money here. They live on Whore Street."

A swell of chuckles and appreciative murmurs broke out among the hobos. Whore Street! Yeah, they sure were pretty enough for it...

They walked to the Konoha, along the car-clogged streets that were hazy in the warmth and with the smell of the fast food places' fried delicacies in their nostrils. Akamaru was moody and grouchy about being woken up, and slunk along in a sulk. Shino seemed to relish that fact, and Kiba... well, Kiba was being cuddly.

"Kiba..." Not that Shino minded. Well, he did kind of dislike being stared at by strangers, but he didn't mind the kissing. He wasn't about to admit it, though.

The shaggy-haired boy knew that. Hell, he'd had two and a half years to find it out. So he didn't even listen to Shino's half-hearted protests, only releasing the other when they had to look where the fuck they were actually going. _He_ liked being stared at by the passersby. Shino was most certainly something to be proud of.

They reached the crossroads to Whore Street and turned onto it. The street was amazingly lively for the afternoon, the groups of homeless whores awake and moving around. Many stood around gossiping, or gathered at the ramen place to discuss momentous, life-important things such as the new kiwi-flavored condoms from this-and-this company. Most of them were dressed in their casual clothes, jeans, T-shirts and sweatpants predominant.

A few prostitutes were standing around the Konoha, the lurid pink sign – even in the sunlight – casting a halo of pink light on their baggy clothes. When Kiba and Shino came to the awning, they greeted them with nods before going back to their conversation with Ino and Tenten, who were both wearing short spaghetti-strap dresses and being very... excited. As in very hyper.

Kakashi was sitting on his shop steps, perverted book in hand and a small frown on his face. Shikamaru was lying down in his usual I-am-dead-so-do-not-talk-to-me position. Beside him, Naruto was flipping through a magazine – probably one of Ino's, if the cover was any indication. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, where's Sasuke?" Kiba asked.

Naruto looked up, noticing the newcomers for the first time. "Oh, hey! Uh, the teme said he wanted to catch a virtvid. Said some shit about too much sun."

Shino shook his head, sitting down at the shopfront. Too much sun? Was that kid a vampire? He felt Kiba lower himself to the ground next to him, and sighed in mock exasperation as the shaggy head burrowed into the crook of his shoulder, placing little kisses down his neck and collarbone. "Kiba -- " he hissed.

Though Shikamaru continued looking bored, and Ino and Tenten were too involved in their conversation – Shino was pretty sure that they _were_ actually talking about a type of condom -- , Naruto glanced over at them, smirking. Shino rolled his eyes behind his goggles. As if Naruto was any better! Hell, at least Shino had a boyfriend that treated him like a person --

Shino froze. Had he just called Kiba his... _boyfriend?_

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Don't worry, this is all for fun. K/S will not be going thru any crisis.

You like?

Tell me.


	2. Chapter 2

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Suit Square

The virtcinema was on Suit Square(or City Plaza, if you wanted to be picky), in the bowels of one of the soaring glass and metal skyscrapers. One had to take an elevator down from the ground level to reach it. The cinema consisted of an entrance area where tickets and snacks were sold, and of eight halls in which you could sit to experience the virtvid. There were also two extra halls, which showed ancient vids, the two-dimensional stuff from the start of the century and earlier.

With the weather being as beautiful as it was, the cinema was pretty much empty, the vast coolness of the entrance area silent but for the clicking of popcorn machines and the murmurs of the staff. A few teens hovered around the ticket booth, and an old lady stood in line behind them.

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair. He would actually also be outside -- not in the sun, but at least out in the warmth --, if the cinema hadn't been showing one of his all-time favorites in the 2D-halls. It was ancient even for the ancient 2D-vids, and it was kind of like a dirty secret that Sasuke liked it so much. Only Naruto knew about it, and he'd laughed his head off when he heard about it.

Sasuke winced at the memory. Well, it _was_ pathetic.

After all, a vid like _Rambo_ wasn't exactly... it just didn't really... ah, fuck. It was just plain shameful to like such a piece of crap.

The dark-haired kid got into line behind the old lady. The teens had finally gotten their tickets, and now they moved off in the vague direction of the snack bar. Sasuke watched them, his lip curled the slightest bit. Shit, they looked to be sixteen or so. That was at least a year older than him! And than Naruto! But they were so – cheap. The kind of kids that wore a lot of make up and stuff, and thought that sex was like the Last Frontier. Pathetic.

The old lady shuffled away – Sasuke was pretty sure she'd gotten a ticket for the other 2D-vid being shown, something with 'pride' – and he stepped up to the counter. The bored-looking girl behind it forced a smile in greeting, and Sasuke said, "A ticket for the 2D-vid. The _Rambo_ one."

Her tired blue eyes widened a bit, but she didn't show any other sign of surprise that he wasn't going for _Cowboy of the Green Ranges_ or whatever the fuck they were showing in the virt-halls. She handed him the ticket after he'd passed over two cel, and he walked towards where the entrances to the halls blinked frantically, lights chasing each other around the door frames. The 2D halls were the last, and he slipped inside the right door, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw that, number 1, his favorite seat was still unoccupied, and 2, the ads hadn't started yet.

He'd almost come too late, having been engrossed in one of Ino's magazines with Naruto. They'd laughed themselves half to death about the shit in there, and Sasuke had completely forgotten the time.

He sat down and began rummaging in his shoulder bag. One wasn't actually allowed to bring bags into the virtcinema, but on days like these when the customers were few and far between, they bent the rules to keep as many peopls there as possible. He pulled out a package of his favorite sponge cake – ten minicel at any store, and it tasted _so _good – and opened it. Then he took out his bottle of beer and propped it up next to the cake. And, last but most certainly not least, he lit a cigarette. Also not allowed, but fuck them.

Sasuke had managed to cut down on his smoking in the last months of winter, after having raised his daily cig count to sixty during the whole thing with Gaara and Naruto. It had been goddamn expensive, and he'd actually _felt _his lungs deteriorating. Besides, it had gotten him two really bad coughs which had needed medication to heal, and that shit had also cost a damn lot.

Yeah, the thing with Gaara and Naruto... it had really shaken him up. But he was – and he could tell himself so truthfully – completely over the blonde now, even if having fun with him could still get him to forget the time before a _Rambo_-showing.

Naruto was spending more and more time at Gaara's, and these days he rarely got back to the Konoha before two in the afternoon. Seen relatively, it really wasn't that much time, but it still felt as if he was steadily... retreating. From the Konoha, and from everyone who lived there. The sort of fun that they'd had today was getting pretty rare.

It hurt Sasuke a bit, but he told himself firmly that as long as Naruto was happy and they were still friends, it was okay.

He glanced around the hall. As if to point out to him that this was really a shitty movie and he'd actually be better off watching _Cowboy of the Green Ranges_, it was empty. He shrugged. Not his fault that people couldn't appreciate Rambo's non-existent genius and most definitely existent muscles. _He_ thought he was cool.

The ads started, glittering drinks and succulent-looking fish representing some sushi bar that looked like Sasuke would have to work on five customers before he could afford a glass of tap water there, half-naked girls dancing to show off the attractions of a weird nightclub, an obscure series of images trying to get him to buy this-and-this brand of ice cream... he looked away from the screen as someone hurried in. He couldn't see much about the person, but t´from the way they moved he could deduce that it was a male.

Shrugging, he turned back to the screen. As long as they didn't annoy him, he didn't really care.

°

Two hours of monosyllabic Rambo-grunts and many knife-throws and makeshift bombs later, Sasuke stood and stretched. The hall lights weren't back on yet, the credits still running, but he'd read those through often enough. He sighed softly in satisfaction. Shit, he loved the stupid macho-ism of this movie.

Packing his stuff up and lighting a new cig, he made his way to the exit. Just when he reached it, he heard footsteps behind him. Ah. The other dude must have also gotten up. Sasuke held the door open, waiting.

The man stepped through, his voice a strange mixture of distance and warmth as he said, "Thanks."

Sasuke murmured a reply, watching the dude walk away. A suit. Huh. A suit watching _Rambo_... weird.

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°scratches head° ugh, not too sure about all this sasuke happy ending stuff...

Oh well.

Our fav asshole's love interest IS a char from the series, even if it seems as if I have already exhausted most of the tasteful possibilities. Anyway, the love story I've got planned is based on an original one that I wrote a while ago. It degenerated into plotless smut(my originals have a tendency to do that), and ended up being continued only when I had come up with a new, outlandish place for the couple to have sex in. I'm hoping this won't end that way. Basically, I have two options; love, and maybe a happy end for Sasuke, or obsession and a most certainly depressing finish. If anyone has an opinion on this, feel free to tell me.

Thanks to the few who reviewed already! I'm planning on GaaNaru next chappie!

Please send me feedback!


	3. Chapter 3

Hey!

The site's going crazy on me...

RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Oh, and I'll put a disclaimer in: yes, yes, yes, I know... Yup, I'm sure! No, Naruto does NOT belong to me...

Randomness: Cradle of Filth. "Better to Reign in Hell."

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Suit Square

The stairwell was cool in the darkness, cold blue light and dark shadows shifting as Naruto walked up the steps. Fuck, he was tired...

He stifled a yawn, rubbing his eyes. Spring's warmth always brought a huge rush of customers with it. It had taken all of his willpower to still drag himself to the Arcade and clean up. And he was a bit nervous about facing Gaara in this state. It would probably the first time that he didn't want to have sex...

Naruto gulped. Hopefully Gaara wouldn't notice. Or, most hopefully, he wouldn't want to have sex either... like, out of consideration...

That got a snort. Yeah, _right_. And they'd wake up to fluffy pink clouds, with Gaara making him pancakes and cheerfully telling him about his workday.

Not that Naruto minded Gaara's silence. Or his... dominance. Fuck, he loved every second of it. These months had been heaven. Or maybe it was better to say hell. But hell... in a _good_ way. They had settled into a comfortable rhythm, with Naruto staying from the early morning to the afternoon. Then Gaara would go to whatever job he had at the time, and Naruto would leave for Whore Street.

And of course they had sex. Lots of sex. God, the things Gaara could come up with...

The redhead hadn't changed, though. He didn't speak, except to sometimes gasp Naruto's name during a bout of especially good sex. Nor did he cuddle, or do... well, couple stuff. Naruto probably would have gone comatose from shock if he had. When they fell asleep after sex – and Gaara barely slept, he was always awake when Naruto arrived, and usually up before the blonde -- , the redhead would move away from him so that they weren't touching anymore. It was a real issue of his, touching. Aside from sex, duh.

Naruto hid another yawn as he reached Gaara's floor and fumbled out his key. Gaara had dropped the key next to him a few weeks ago, on his way to work. Naruto had been thrilled, and had even bought a keychain for it, with the cutest fox plushie ever. He'd actually been thinking of something like a scorpion or some other desert animal, but the fox had just been so adorable -- he couldn't resist.

He opened the door slowly, trying to shake his weariness off. There was no light on, but he knew for certain that Gaara was in the living room, drinking vodka on the sofa. Just another one of those Gaara things.

Slipping out of his shoes, Naruto moved to the living room. Sure enough, the redhead was seated on the couch, half-dressed, with a glass of clear liquid in one hand. A half-empty bottle stood on the floor next to him. The half-closed gaze was strong enough to be tangible, sliding over the blonde's body.

Naruto grinned, forcing down another yawn. "Hey, alcoholic. We should get you into the AA, man."

Gaara's lips twitched in amusement, and he let his eyes move to the space beside him.

Naruto complied, sitting down. His body groaned in relief. Comfort! "Sorry I'm late. Was a busy night."

Gaara didn't respond, and Naruto winced. Fuck, he was more exhausted than he thought, if he had just mentioned his whoring around the older kid. Gaara didn't care much what he did, as long as Naruto didn't flaunt the fact in his face that he was... well, that he was fucking other guys. Nightly.

"Sorry – I'm tired, and..." Naruto stammered.

Gaara drained his glass, setting it down next to the bottle. He turned to Naruto and slid a hand around his neck, leaning down to sink his teeth into the tawny skin. Naruto gasped. No matter how often Gaara did this, it always sent shivers skittering down his spine, and that delicious heat in his lower back writhing to life.

He felt the redhead's free hand slip under his T-shirt, tracing the _sa/suna _symbol in that strangely violent way, the firm strokes and painful scratches forcing moans from Naruto's throat. The filed teeth released his neck, and a tongue darted out to lap up the blood that had spilled from the bite.

Naruto whimpered. "Gaara..."

The older kid – Naruto _still_ wasn't sure whether this was really the right thing to call him – pulled him closer, releasing the blonde long enough to pull his T-shirt off. Then his teeth returned, leaving a trail of bloody, bruising bites down the younger kid's chest.

Gaara's hands gripped Naruto's hips as he tried, whispering breathless pleas, to buck into the sharp teeth carving their way down his form. The blonde moaned beseechingly as the redhead pulled away from him and undid his jeans. Something ran through Naruto's mind about being tired, but it disappeared with a defeated whimper as Gaara tangled his hands into his hair and urged – well, forced – his head down.

Naruto adjusted his position so that he was on all fours, his hands to either side of his lover's hips, before obeying. He let Gaara's erection slide into his mouth with a small moan, and the hands tightened in his hair. Gaara forced himself farther in, and Naruto suppressed his reflex with a soft, strangled gasp.

He began to move his tongue, and was rewarded with a tiny hitch in Gaara's breathing. Naruto let himself go, sliding and sucking with each savage thrust of the redhead's hips. He arched as one of Gaara's hands moved under him, pushing his jeans down, and let out a whimper. The hand returned to his hair, both clenching tight in the strands as the sound vibrated along Gaara's length.

Gaara's hips were pounding roughly into him, Naruto's tongue sliding teasingly over him. They were quiet though violent, the warm blue night still around them. The moon was already setting, and its waning light cast an eerie glow onto their shifting, sweat-sheened forms.

It was over soon – hell, Naruto was a professional, even if hewas tired and Gaara an icicle --, Gaara climaxing with a gasp and nearly ripping Naruto's hair out as he tightened his grip to ride out his release. Naruto sighed inwardly in satisfaction -- God, he tasted _so good_...

Gaara thrust into his mouth once more, snarling softly. Naruto obliged, swallowing the redhead's bitter – no, salty – fuck it, it tasted good, whatever the flavor was exactly... seed.

They lay there for a short time, until Gaara caught his breath and stood. He moved out of the room, and a few moments later Naruto heard water running in the bathroom. He sighed and got up from the couch, not hiding his yawn this time. God, he'd been tired enough not to get excited... shit.

The blonde picked his clothes up from the floor and crossed the corridor to the bedroom. He curled up on the futon, and by the time Gaara came in five minutes later, he was fast asleep.

°

Naruto awoke with a sigh, clamping a hold on his reflex to snuggle into the warm body next to him. He'd just get pushed away anyway. Shifting a bit, he gazed up at the redhead.

Gaara's face relaxed in sleep – minimally, just like his almost-grin was a bare twist of the lips and his shrug a hint of raised shoulders -- , the grim line of his mouth smoothing out the tiniest bit, his non-existent eyebrows straightening into a semblance of a.. neutral expression. Naruto wouldn't go as far as to call it peaceful.

The sunlight streamed in from outside, snatches of conversation drifting in, screams and fights and laughter. The breeze whispered in the sheets and hissed over the tatami, and Naruto felt... as he always did around Gaara...

Happy.

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I hate that lemon. It sucked. I wrote it with my mom lying three feet away, so forgive me. And as I read over this, I get a 'filler chapter' feeling.

RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Damn it. Tell me whether it was good, okay?

Next chapter I'll be more focused.

Please review. I am getting very few.


	4. Chapter 4

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Suit Square

_Ugh._

Sasuke grimaced as he got out of the truck. Disgusting --

-- _why why why does that dude always pick me, dammit?_

He lit a cigarette, inhaling deeply and watching the pick up drive away. That dude should spend more time in the weight room than on Whore Street. The kid shuddered. He was so _fat_.

And Sasuke had smoked too much today. He was a bit giddy from the nicotine overload, and his mind was on overdrive. Forcing himself to calm down, he walked back to the curb in front of the Konoha.

Naruto grinned at him. "Hey, teme."

Sasuke nodded in reply. Ino and Tenten were both off with customers, and so were Lee and Shikamaru. Gai stood a couple of feet away, his impressive eyebrows furrowed. He didn't acknowledge the other two whores, and they glanced at each other knowingly. Lovesick.

Gai went into weird phases of aggressive depression every two weeks or so, falling in love with someone or other and getting completely consumed by self-doubt and whatnot all. Sasuke didn't know how Lee managed to keep a straight face throughout it, but somehow the other kid did.

Whore Street blinked and flashed in the night, the warmth and dryness allowing for even skimpier outfits than usual. The S&M crowd was resplendent in strategically placed strips of leather and chains, the Lolitas' skirts were shorter than ever, and the trannies had done away with all but their fishnets. Well, at least it looked like it. Sasuke didn't feel like going closer to investigate.

Naruto nudged him, startling him. "Hey, look." He jerked a hand over his shoulder.

Sasuke turned to the Konoha. "Fucking – do they have any idea what _privacy_ means?"

Kakashi and Iruka were devouring each other in the doorway -- seemed like Iruka had been trying to leave – and getting very close to the point where it got... well, too much. Even for Whore Street. Kiba and Shino were already asleep, or else Kiba would probably be shouting at them to get a room by now.

Sasuke shook his head and turned around. Naruto was snickering next to him. "No, they don't. I'm gonna take that car, okay?"

The dark-haired kid shrugged. "Whatever, dobe."

The blonde moved to the vehicle he'd pointed at, one of those suit cars that seemed to come with working for a big firm. Sasuke watched him lean over the window. He still had to get over his revulsion with the fat customer. The dude was a regular, and Sasuke always needed a couple minutes to relax after a session with him – it was really traumatizing to be stuck beneath a pile of... well. Flesh. Whatever.

Naruto shrugged, still facing the customer in the car, and turned around. "Hey, teme! Someone's asking for you!"

Sasuke groaned inwardly, but obliged, stubbing his cigarette out with a boot. Naruto moved off to another vehicle, and the dark-haired boy stepped up to the car window. "You asked for me?"

"I suppose I did. Though your blonde friend sort of over-interpreted it."

Sasuke started slightly. The voice was familiar. He couldn't for the life of him remember where he knew it from, though. He forced a slight smile. "Yeah, he does that sometimes. So do you want sex?"

"Not really."

Sasuke stifled a snarl of annoyance. "And what do you want then?"

"Greeting a fellow _Rambo _fan wasn't a crime, the last time I checked."

Ah, so that was where he knew the voice from. The dark-haired kid shrugged slightly. "I suppose it isn't. But I've got a job to do."

The businessman shifted on his seat. His pale hair – it was a few shades darker than Kakashi's – glinted in the blinking lights of the surrounding cars. "I know. Just wanted to point out – they're showing part two the day after tomorrow."

Sasuke was hard-pressed not to jump for joy. The virtcinemas usually only showed the first of a 2D-vid series! They were showing the second part! He composed himself and drawled, "Okay."

"I'll see you there then."

Sasuke lit up another cig and stepped back, watching the sleek behemoth of a car pull away from the curb. He turned to look for a prospective client, his brow furrowing.

That had been weird.

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Okay, it's short. But at last I got out of my writer's block...which is the reason why I updated so late...

Congrats to Tenka-chan, who guessed Sasu-chan's love interest's identity!

LALALALALA!

And ROCK MY BOX, I am extremely honored.

Love you all, and please give me more reviews!


	5. Chapter 5

Hey! Finally updated...

Thanks for all the reviews!

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Suit Square

Sasuke frowned a bit when the transition from outside to the virtcinema elevator wasn't as shocking as it had been the last time. The week of spring was coming to a close. Disappointing.

He watched the blank walls of the elevator as it moved downwards, lowered itself into the cool bowels of the building. A soft ping announced its arrival at the bottom floor. He stepped out into the cavernous entrance area, rummaging in his shoulder bag for the necessary cel-chips. As he got into line behind a kissing couple and a weird-looking old man and his eyes skimmed over the display of virtvid titles and times, his mind flashed to the pale-haired suit.

Huh. Would he be there?

He didn't really care, but it would be fun --

He _didn't care_, dammit.

Argh.

Spring, that was all. It was spring... and he'd stopped obsessing over Naruto. Enough reason, it seemed, for his mind(read: _libido_) to snatch up the next convenient focus.

Not that he'd act on it.

Ignoring the raucously laughing voice in the back of his thoughts, he glared at the couple in front of him. The man cast him an irritated glance, ungluing his lips from his girlfriend's for a second. The woman took significantly longer to dismiss Sasuke, letting her gaze slide up and down his body first.

Sasuke fought a very strong urge to mock-vomit.

He lit a cigarette, inhaling deeply. It wasn't allowed here, and he didn't give a shit. Somehow he was feeling very volatile today. It could have something to do with nervousness, but he was sure it didn't.

The voice in the back of his mind laughed a bit louder.

Finally, the couple left the ticket counter, still kissing and whatnot. The woman cast a very badly hidden glance back at Sasuke, and he felt his face twist into a disgusted sneer.

Wow... he was really in a bad mood...

He watched in slight satisfaction as the bitch – slut, whore, cunt – turned away with an offended gasp.

"Sir?"

Oh, right. Tickets. For a vid...

...with the suit.

Argh!

What was wrong with him?

He moved up to the counter and started to speak. A vague reflection in the glass of the booth, a slight shift in the vendor's expression --

"Two tickets for _Rambo_."

Sasuke glared up at the suit. The man's long, lithe form was leaning over his shoulder, cel-chips dropped with unceremonious grace on the counter.

Actually, Sasuke's anger was at himself. For the traitorous little flutter and the warmth at his back, the unaccustomed weight against his shoulder, the...

...he wasn't admitting that, though.

"I can pay for myself."

"I never doubted you could." The man's voice was that distant/familiar drawl, distinctly tinged with amusement. The round glasses flashed in the dim light of the overhead lamps.

Sasuke tsked. "Whatever."

The vendor passed the tickets to the suit, his eyes wide in bewilderment. They made their way to the 2-D halls in silence. This time, they were on time, and the hall was still dark.

Sasuke slipped to his favorite seat, and forced himself to feel annoyed when the businessman sat down next to him. He cast him an aggravated glance before unpacking his usual paraphernalia...food, cigs, and booze. The suit shifted, and Sasuke could _feel _the laughter in the dude when he asked dryly, "You know, if you didn't feel like doing this, you wouldn't have brought two beers."

Sasuke favored him with a deathglare, but opened the beers with his lighter anyways.

Thankfully they were spared more embarrassing conversation by the start of the ads, and then the movie.

By the time Rambo got out of the helicopter in Vietnam, Sasuke was already used to the man's solid presence next to him. When the soldier began flexing his muscles on screen – really, it was the sickest scene in the whole movie; so much sweat and...and..._ugh_ – it didn't even surprise him that the suit's groan of disgust matched his own.

And at the funniest scene – the love declaration and the stupid grunts that made up Rambo's whole reply --, he didn't hesitate to leave his face where it was, burrowed into the suit's shoulder.

It was a reflex of Sasuke's to turn his head away whenever something funny happened on screen or in a virtvid. So he could truthfully say that the position was in no way intentional.

The man smelled of... beer, and Sasuke's cigarettes. And faintly, very faintly, of something spicy and exotic.

Sasuke only turned his head back to the screen when he heard gunshots. The suit didn't acknowledge the... thing, and Sasuke refused to think about it, concentrating on the vid.

°

"Do you have time?"

Sasuke looked up from his bag – he was packing up the remnants of the snacks, a cig trapped between his lips. "Why?"

The lights were back on, and it was the first time they'd spoken since... then. The last credits were rolling down the screen. The suit was reclining against the banister, glasses flashing.

The suit shrugged. "A meal? As in real food?"

"Hn." No, he was not happy.

The voice in his mind was having a field day. Any human would have died of lack of oxygen by now. Looked like being a disembodied voice had its perks.

"I don't like sweets. Let's get _kushiage_."(1)

Sasuke didn't like sweets either. "Too expensive."

"I'm paying."

"I don't need charity."

"Do I look like I'm a good Samaritan?"

"... Where?"

_You suck. _The voice proclaimed gleefully.

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(1) kushiage are deep-fried pieces of meat, veggie, or fish on a stick. Yum. A delicacy.

so...yeah. Please review.


	6. Chapter 6

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Suit Square

Sasuke had never liked cocktails. He hated the name – hell, in his profession... -- and he hated the way they covered up the alcohol with other flavors. Besides, they were usually sweet. He didn't like sweet stuff. Unless it was sponge cake.

He inhaled deeply of his cigarette, eyes still fixed on the neighboring table's occupants' brightly colored drinks. A delicate, bluish-white tray stood in the middle of the table he was sitting at, _kushiage _of all shapes and sizes arranged in a circle around the sauces. A tall pitcher of sake gleamed white next to it.

The restaurant was extremely tasteful and expensive-looking, each small table far enough from the next for privacy. The room shone black and white, sterile but elegant.

Sasuke picked a salmon-skewer and dipped it into the spicy sauce, biting off a mouthful of tender fish. Okay, the suit sure had good taste in restaurants.

Speaking of the suit...

He sat across from Sasuke, preoccupied with his cup of sake and a beef-_kushiage_. They hadn't spoken much, mostly about vids and how terrible sweets were. The man's glasses glinted, his body shifting minutely as he raised his cup to his lips.

Sasuke tore his gaze away, finishing the salmon.

"They aren't showing part three, but their next 2D-vid in the action hall is with Jean-Claude Van Damme. Far from Rambo, but... he's good enough. Did a few -- "

"You're married." He knew it, somehow. It was a hunch.

The suit smiled slightly, almost ruefully, and raised his left hand. The gold band glinted in the neon overhead light. "My wife likes neither _Rambo _nor 2D-vids in general. She loves sweets, and -- "

"How old are your children?" Another hunch.

"Aki is five, and Tsume is three."

"Hn." The voice in his thoughts was silent, now.

Customers were fine. They could be married ten times over for all he cared.

But...outside of the job, it did feel vaguely wrong.

_Vaguely_ so. "I know Van Damme. He's cool enough. And his acting is just as bad as Stallone's."

The suit chuckled. "Yes."

"Yeah, Van Damme is okay."

°

It was late afternoon. The sun was inching down in the sky, and Sasuke would have to go to work sometime in the next two hours.

It was cool in the car, the front doors open. They were outside of the City, on some small road in the middle of nowhere that had been amazingly quick to get to, for all that the City seemed so endless.

There were small, scrubby trees. Gravelly dirt beneath the tires. Things rustled in the underbrush.

As the suit slid into him – it felt so _good_, dammit --, Sasuke realized they didn't know each other's names. He wanted to laugh, but then the suit thrust and he couldn't think anymore.

Sasuke had never been a "screamer", and the suit wasn't one either. They moved together on the back seat, Sasuke's pants hurriedly pulled down enough for fucking, his legs spread wide and hooked around the man's golden hips. Soft grunts, pants, whimpers. Not much else.

The upholstery creaked. They had the same skin color.

It was more than good, the suit thick and unyielding inside him, stretching him to his limit and beyond and always hitting --

_oh yeah_

-- their tongues slid along each other. The man's hands were bruising his hips.

_Fuck yes..._

They met each other with wet, slick sounds.

Sasuke's hands were dividing their attention between his own cock and scratching the suit's back bloody.

He was going rougher, and Sasuke greeted the change in rhythm with breathless pleas. He didn't know what he was saying, and he didn't care. As long as it continued --

_oh please deeper_

... as long as he kept on hitting...

_ah... FUCK!_

Heat exploded in his body, and he felt warm moisture coating his abdomen. A strangled moan left his lips.

The suit pounded into him – one two three four _five oh god_ – and groaned softly in release. Hot liquid spilled inside Sasuke. It felt strange, no condom holding the fluids away from his skin this time. Slippery.

They disentangled themselves, and Sasuke felt something trickle down his inner thigh as the suit pulled out of him.

Tissues appeared from somewhere. They were silent as they cleaned up and dressed. Sasuke lit a cig. They got into the front of the car.

What was there to say, anyway?

His gaze caught on the man's left hand. The ring had disappeared. The voice inside his mind mumbled something happy, something about tact and consideration and kindness.

Sasuke told it to shut the fuck up.

"Whore Street?"

"Hn."

The engine started, and as he caught a glance of ragged greenery in the mirror another hunch came over him.

This was going to become a habit.

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That was a weird lemon.. blame it on watching Sensitive Pornograph too often... Oh well. It's probably a good thing that Sasu and Naru have different approaches to sex.

Review! It's 4:20 am!


	7. Chapter 7

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Suit Square

The comforter rustled softly as he slid out from under it. The morning light was warm on the scuffed tatami, and wind sighed in through the windows.

Naruto glanced at Gaara, but the redhead was still asleep, hair mussed and eyeliner smudged. Stretching, the blonde picked one of his lover's loose sweatshirts up from the floor and dropped it over his naked body. He made his way to the kitchen.

Yesterday had been strange on the Street. Sasuke had been weird, and Kakashi and Iruka had squabbled over Kakashi's perverted books. It hadn't helped matters that it had been extremely busy. At least Naruto'd been more awake than that time a few days ago when he'd finally come home.

Naruto started , in the midst of running water into the kettle. Home. Huh. When had he started calling Gaara's place home?

He set the kettle to boil and shrugged. It was true, after all. He spent almost more time here than --

The doorbell buzzed.

Naruto frowned. Who would be visiting? This early? And – and – _visiting_.

The only visitor that Gaara had had while Naruto was there had been a pizza delivery boy, and Naruto had placed the order. It could be one of Gaara's work contacts, which was a bit unsettling, seeing as Gaara didn't always keep the best company. No one at Whore Street knew Gaara's address, so that was out of the question...

A second buzz pulled Naruto out of his thoughts. He moved into the corridor, glaring daggers at the intercom as it continued, very persistently, squalling.

He looked, a bit at a loss, over at the entrance to the bedroom. Gaara didn't appear, and so Naruto broke off the next round of buzzing by picking up the intercom's receiver.

"Hello?"

"Gaara? Open up. You've got some explaining to do." It was a woman's voice, irritated and fast.

Naruto froze. "Uh... I'm not Gaara."

"FUCK! Did we get another dead end? I can't believe this! Fucking hell! That dude who sold us this info is going to -- "

Another voice interrupted her, deep and harsh. "Ignore her, kid. So does Gaara live here?"

"Uh...yes?"

"Well, buzz us up then!" The woman was back.

"I can't just – I have no idea – Who the hell _are_ you?"

The dude answered this time. "We're family. Just buzz us up, okay? We can talk then."

Naruto gave up on ever understanding what was going on and pressed the unlock button. He opened the apartment door a fraction and returned to the kitchen.

Family? As in... _Gaara's_ family? The image wouldn't fit into his mind...

He checked on the coffee stuff and turned, meaning to head for the bedroom and inform Gaara of the visitors. Instead, he walked straight into a bare chest. He stumbled backwards, blushing slightly. "Shit, man! Don't scare me like that! Someone was at the door. They said they were – Gaa-Gaara!"

The redhead simply continued attacking his collarbone, snarling softly. Naruto laughed breathlessly. "I suppose that's a hint that it's good I let them up?"

Gaara just shifted their positions so that Naruto was up against the kitchen counter, and slid a hand beneath the sweatshirt. Naruto moaned softly, burying his face in the crook of a pale neck as the calloused fingers slid over his cuts from the night. Sharp teeth latched onto his earlobe, a hand pressed firmly into the small of his back, and Gaara smelt of his spicy shampoo.

A hiss and a rattle from behind him broke him out of the little whimpering trance he'd been in. "G-Gaara, your guests will be coming up, and the water's boil -- "

Well, then he wouldn't take care of it.

Not that he minded. "Shit...Gaara! More!"

The redhead snickered softly against his throat, and ground them up against the counter again. He was wearing jeans, and Naruto really doubted that there were boxers underneath them. The hand on his wounds pressed _in_, _up_ harder, and a strangled hiss escaped him.

He vaguely heard voices echoing through the stairwell and into the apartment – loud, annoyed and...

...ah, who cared. This was _way_ more interesting.

"Unh...Gaara..."

The soft sound of a zipper unzipping, a hand forcing his thighs apart --

-- _nope, no underwear_ --

-- a cut reopening painfully as the Sandman positioned himself quickly, impatiently. They were both excited enough for it to be over soon, and Naruto felt relieved about that for some reason – something important, pressing was going on somewhere, he just _knew_ it.

"AH -- "

God, Gaara was so deliciously rough. Inside him with a single thrust, and now...

"Yes...oh yeah...fuck, Gaara – please just..._ oh my God_. Fuck me harder...Harder – yeah...!"

The counter dug into his hip, one leg hooked around Gaara's torso and the other around the redhead's thigh. His elbows supported him on the plastic countertop, his head falling back and baring his neck to Gaara's teeth as they pounded against each other – or was it _with _each other?

Breathless and whimpering, he tried to get Gaara deeper, to completely sheathe him inside himself... Gaara complied, a soft, approving snarl against Naruto's neck as he slammed _all the way in_...

"GAARA! Where are you – OH MY GOD."

Naruto groaned. No fucking _way_! He glared up at Gaara, who had retreated a bit at the voice, and cast an utterly disgusted, cursory glance at the woman in the kitchen doorway before completely ignoring her."Don't you dare stop, man. Don't you _dare_."

Gaara gave him a half-smirk that told him he hadn't even been thinking about the possibility, and rammed back into him. Naruto let out a breathy moan. "Hell yes..."

He came on the next thrust, the heat coiling inside him tight enough to hurt before releasing in a tidal wave of bliss. "_G-Gaara!_"

The redhead's breath hitched, and he finished after a thrust so incredibly deep and violent and amazing – a soft, choked-off grunt was the only sound he made. Naruto sighed inwardly, the thought flashing through his mind that if these people hadn't been here, Gaara might have said his name.

Gaara stepped away from him and zipped up his pants. Then he brushed past the woman in the doorway. Bathroom, Naruto supposed. The woman looked angry, but scared at the same time. And disgust was in there too.

Oh right. They were family, weren't they? No wonder she looked disgusted. And where was the dude?

He slid off the counter and muttered – _no _he was _not_ blushing, dammit -- "Uh... coffee?"

°

The woman was blonde, her hair pulled into four ragged ponytails. Her tall, curvy form seemed out of place in the small kitchen, the mesh shirt and low-cut bodice somehow wrong in a room in which two males had just had sex. And Naruto wasn't even going to start on the miniskirt.

The dude had slunk in behind her. Well, no. He hadn't been slinking. He seemed somehow... far away. It looked disturbingly like a shell-shocked person Naruto had seen once. Gaara and Naruto had obviously really surprised them.

Or maybe they'd just creeped them out. Or both.

He'd made coffee after wiping the counter down with a barely-hidden, furious blush. Damn, he was a _whore_. He shouldn't be this squeamish about sex in front of others. On Whore Street, he mused, he probably wasn't, either. It most likely had something to do with it being _Gaara_. After all, sex with Gaara was something extremely personal.

"-- hello?"

He looked up from his mug, reining in another blush. "Ah...sorry. What did you say?"

The man's face was decorated with an intricate design of purple paint, the lines curving over his dark skin. He wore black. "Gaara takes a while to shower..."

Okay, that was random. "Er. Yeah. Sometimes."

They hadn't spoken, but for a soft, stammered conversation in which he'd figured out what they wanted in their coffee. The woman hadn't said anything at all, yet. She was examining Naruto's keychain.

She was weird.

So was the dude.

But then, he'd just been fucked by their relative in front of them. Speaking of which...

"How are you related?"

They didn't answer, their eyes fixed on the door of the kitchen. A familiar, icy cold voice answered instead, and Naruto was treated to the third full sentence he'd heard from Gaara. "We're siblings."

Naruto decided not to count it as a full sentence. He knew it was childish, but he didn't like thinking about the fact that within ten minutes of their arrival the visitors had already gotten Gaara to speak. The thought hurt dully somewhere inside him.

Siblings. Maybe he was going into shock like the other two, because there was no reaction from his mind. Siblings.

_SIBLINGS!_

Ah, now it started working again.

Moving without really thinking, he handed Gaara a cup of coffee and returned to his comfortable position, leaning against the counter. His eyes scanned the other three occupants of the room. He wanted to know about these people now. They were Gaara's siblings. His _siblings._

Naruto wondered, briefly, why it surprised him so much. It was obvious that Gaara had a family – _had_ had one, at least. Gene manipulation wasn't _that_ far advanced yet.

The woman was sitting on the edge of her chair, fear and anger warring visibly on her face. She was nibbling at her lower lip. Her hands were so tight and white-knuckled around her cup that Naruto seriously feared it breaking.

The man, on the other hand, was way too relaxed for it too be natural. He was obviously covering something up. No doubt more fear. Hell, if this was what loving siblings were, then Naruto had really misunderstood something along the way.

The emotions on the woman's face suddenly settled. Anger seemed to have won over fear. Goodie. "Gaara! Why didn't you contact us? We had no idea that you were out of the CiJail until we got a letter telling us to pick up the stuff you left there! What the fuck? I mean --"

The man cast her a warning glance, and she went back to the lip-chewing and squirming.

Gaara didn't react.

Naruto couldn't take this anymore. He plunked his cooling coffee down on the counter and muttered, "I'll leave you guys to sort this out."

He didn't look at anyone as he left the kitchen. Once he reached the bedroom, he reached for a tissue and cleaned himself off quickly and half-heartedly. He'd go to the Arcade later.

Jeans, T-shirt, socks. His bag. There.

He froze. Or not. His keychain was still... in the kitchen.

Naruto _really _didn't want to go in there. It had felt like he was disturbing some ancient ritual that he had no idea of, and it hurt to see Gaara familiar with others. He knew it was selfish. Well, shoot him.

The sunlight glowed outside the windows. He popped a piece of gum into his mouth. Okay. He could do this, dammit.

Kankuro looked up when the blonde – _that his brother had just fucked_ – came back into the kitchen. He was dressed now, his skinny legs in ragged jeans and an orange T-shirt loose on his torso. His head was down.

Kankuro watched, surprised, as Gaara's head moved a fraction to follow the kid's progress past him. Huh. A reaction!

Gaara was leaning against the wall, and Temari had been unsuccessfully trying to get him to talk for the last few minutes. She was silent now, watching the blonde as he stepped up to the table.

The kid had a nice voice, soft but strong. "Uh... that's my keychain."

Temari jumped, letting go of the thing she'd been kneading ceaselessly. "Oh. Here."

The blonde nodded and walked out into the corridor. Gaara moved suddenly, his arm snaking out and holding the kid's wrist. The blonde froze. "Gaara?"

Kankuro's eyes widened. ARGH! No! NOT AGAIN!

Gaara had pulled the blonde in close, his mouth latching onto the kid's tawny neck. The blonde moaned softly, his back arching. Kankuro glanced over at Temari.

Her eyes were just as wide as his, a blush spreading over her cheeks. Not that she was normally squeamish when it came to sex – hell, she loved sex, as Kankuro had heard often (Not of his own free will) – but this was _Gaara_. Gaara didn't have sex. Gaara was not capable of such things, dammit!

...Right?

Right.

Kankuro watched as Gaara released the kid, who sighed softly and murmured something before turning and stepping out. They heard the scuff of shoes, then the door slammed with a weird finality.

Gaara's gaze had returned to the window, where a breeze soughed playfully over the wavy plastiglass. Temari tried her luck again. "Look, Gaara..."

"What do you want?" That voice... just as cold as Kankuro remembered it.

Temari looked at Kankuro for support.

She could be grateful she had such a loving brother. "Nothing, not really. We – er, we actually just wanted to check up on you." He supplied. Damn. In front of Gaara, even the truth sounded tinny and cheap. Or maybe especially the truth did so.

"A-And ask whether you wanted your stuff. You know, from the prison." Temari was back on track.

The redhead – his little brother, Kankuro corrected himself, he was still his little brother, even if he's just had sex with... argh! -- minutely raised a non-existant eyebrow. The tiny headshake was enough for the other two. He was refusing. Not just the belongings, but the... family, warmth, whatever.

Kankuro felt, suddenly, angry. "Damn it, Gaara! We're your _family_. We should at least have contact, meet up once in a while... And besides," he really didn't know what was getting into him... "we want to meet that kid. You know, make sure he's right for you."

Temari stared at him as if he'd grown a second head.

Gaara gazed steadily at him over his coffee mug. "You...want to meet Naruto?"

Hell yes he wanted to meet the kid that was sleeping with his little brother, with the fucking ex-Sandman. He wanted to know what the hell went on in that sick blonde head. And he was curious – just a tiny bit – as to how Gaara was doing.

_You're not fooling me_, Inner Kankuro muttered in amusement. _You want to spend _family time _with him. _Sniggering echoed in the recesses of his mind.

"Uh...yeah. He seems cool."

Temari was staring even harder now.

Gaara nodded, barely. "All right."

Kankuro bit back a grunt of shock. Gaara had accepted an invitation to family time.

... Hell yes he wanted to meet that kid.

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Wow, pretty long chapter for me!

Please review and tell me whether I should change anything about Temari or Kanky's chars...


	8. Chapter 8

Okay, hi everyone. I have two announcements.

1 -- LeeNeji will be pushed to the back of my priorities for now. Sorry, but even though I love them to death, I'm trying to stay on GaaNaru and KabuSasu for now... They'll make appearances as a side pairing, of course, but it won't be anytime soon...

2 -- School starts again for me on the 28th. Everyone knows what that means, I won't elaborate. Just a warning.

Right. Now that business is taken care of:

THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH FOR YOUR REVIEWS!

I LOVE YOU ALL!

Randomness: Led Zeppelin, "When the Levee Breaks"

Okay, here we go! Chapter 8!

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Suit Square

The awning of the Konoha was actually quite fascinating. The stains and discolorations – magenta, baby pink, orange-pink – were fun to trace, and Shikamaru knew most of them by heart. They were a good substitute for clouds, because Shikamaru didn't like lying out on the open sidewalk that much.

Spring forced a bit of action from everyone, he supposed, and he made concessions as well. But seeing as the gray sky was obviously not lightening any time soon, he'd put away his chessboard – the only thing other than staring at the awning that he liked to do – and settled down to his usual position. The Konoha was quiet, half of the whores enjoying the last warmth of spring elsewhere. Ino and Tenten were shopping with friends, Kiba and Shino were begging.

Kakashi was perched on his store steps, the night's fight with Iruka forgotten and his eyes glued to another porn book. Naruto and Sasuke... Shikamaru rolled his eyes. They were so annoying.

After the incident with the Sandman and Naruto and Sasuke's self-pity-fest in the winter, the Konoha had been pretty shell-shocked. Now, with spring, they'd finally _all_ gotten over it – Ino especially had needed a long time – and Sasuke had seemed to go back to his original coldness.

Today, though, something was going on. Again.

Naruto was asleep now, but when he'd come back from his lover's apartment this morning, he'd been quiet and introspective, not even rising to Kiba's insults. He'd laid down on the mattress next to Sasuke and gone to sleep, and was still off in dreamland just now.

Sasuke had been strange last night already, way friendlier than usual and even helping Ino out with a weird customer. He'd seemed... well, Shikamaru supposed that the way he was acting was the way he acted when he was happy. Though this would be the first time Shikamaru had seen Sasuke happy. He was awake now, smoking and staring out onto the Street. His lips were curved into the barest ghost of an absentminded smile.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. Well, weird stuff happened.

Sadly, it usually ended up troublesome in one way or another...

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Heh. Okay, that was Shika. Short, but he probably thinks it's too troublesome to narrate much...

I hope I can update again soon...hopefully even today.

Please review! It really makes me feel guilty, thus driving me to update!


	9. Chapter 9

Okay... now we'll have more GaaNaru. Kind of.

Anyway, I'm hoping to tell everyone who's married to Kabuto in the next chapter.

We'll see.

Either way, here is chapter 9.

Randomness: In Extremo.

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Suit Square

"Hey, alcoholic."

Gaara gave him an almost-grin in return.

Naruto sat down on the couch, his eyes seeking out the blue-gray early morning light that streamed in through the windows. He was nervous.

The siblings were gone, obviously; it was five in the morning, after all. But Naruto couldn't help himself.

He was sad.

Not jealous, because he'd never taken this thing with Gaara for granted enough to see himself as important to the redhead. No, he wasn't envious, he was just... unhappy.

These months with Gaara had been something within their own world; at Gaara's apartment, the outside didn't matter, and anything other than the present Gaara had been unimportant. But the outside world, the past, and Gaara's history had intruded now. The redhead's siblings, the way they had acted around their little brother, had brought back facts that Naruto hadn't considered important until now.

Gaara was the Sandman.

Gaara was insane.

Gaara was a killer.

And now that his family had appeared... they hadn't exactly been the epitome of familiar warmth, and Naruto didn't know whether their intentions were all good – maybe they wanted to get rid of Gaara? Put him into an asylum?

And that idea frightened him, just as the realization that it frightened him frightened him. Naruto had already gone through not having Gaara once; he _never, ever_ wanted to repeat the experience. It was simply impossible for him.

A pressure on his thigh startled him out of his thoughts. Naruto jumped slightly, almost dislodging the pale hand on his leg. "Whoa! Don't scare me like that!"

Gaara's lips twisted briefly in amusement, before leaning over to latch his teeth onto Naruto's neck.

Naruto decided that everything not pertaining to sex could wait till later.

°

It waited quite a while, even staying in recesses of his mind after waking up and making coffee. It waited through another bout of wonderfully rough sex, and hid on until Naruto was halfway out the door, bag over his shoulder and shoes on.

"Naruto."

Naruto froze. He'd said his name! Outside of sex! Now fear came rushing back. What was going to change? Would he leave? What-- "Wh-what?"

Gaara looked irritated, brow barely furrowed in distaste. "My siblings..."

Naruto bit his lip. "Yeah?"

"Come here this evening. At five."

"Why?" Gaara was speaking... Naruto resisted the urge to shiver in delight.

He didn't get an answer, Gaara turning around and disappearing into the living room.

Naruto made his way to the bus stop in pensive silence. The fear was back. Why did he want to meet him? That early? Gaara had never arranged something like that with him. The redhead simply supposed he'd come sometime, and left it at that.

Was it something... like breaking up? The thought actually made no sense, seeing how Gaara would probably just take Naruto's keys away and not let him up if he wanted to get rid of the blonde. But then, Gaara was also cruel – Naruto had no illusions about that side of his lover – and might enjoy telling him that he wasn't needed anymore...

ARGH!

Why did these siblings have to appear? Now Gaara wanted to break up with him – well, as far as he _could _break up with him, since they probably hadn't truly been together in the first place – or worse...

Naruto swallowed hard. If that was the case, or if Gaara was disappearing off the face of the earth again...

How would he survive?

°

Sasuke wasn't nervous. He'd just smoked too much, that was all.

His traitorous inner voice laughed. And laughed. And laughed some more.

Sasuke snarled at it under his breath and settled farther down into his seat. The screen was projecting images of succulent pink fish with some weird greenery decorating it on a pink porcelain plate --

The suit was late, dammit.

Sasuke took a vicious bite of sponge cake, glaring at the glowing tip of his cig.

Behind him, someone coughed in a very attention-seeking manner, managing to convey 'Please stop smoking, it's bad for you,' in one three-second-long noise. Sasuke cursed the effects of rapidly cooling weather – such as fuller cinemas – and twisted around in his seat.

Granted, there were still only five other people in the hall, but it was already very different from the silence of the last two times, muttering and crunching and shifting. The woman who'd given Sasuke the apologetic I-worry-for-your-health cough shrank back from his glare, cold even in the dimness of the hall.

The suit was late, and Sasuke was pissed.

Of course, he was only pissed because he'd paid money to get in here – a Jean Claude Van Damme 2D-vid, dammit, who paid for those unless it was an appointment? -- and now the dude hadn't even deigned to come. That was all; he was angry because he'd been stood up.

The voice in his head cracked up again.

The ads were coming to a close, and Sasuke felt a slight stab of – something. No, it _wasn't _disappointment.

He ignored the voice.

The credits started, and the first scene of the vid flashed onto the screen. Sasuke took a deep, savage puff of his cigarette and decided that he was going to leave. Now.

He remained true to his word, slipping the sponge cake back into his bag and reaching for the beers in order to pack them up as well.

A shadow crossed the corner of his eye, and a strong, pale hand gripped his, a second picking up one of the beers as a weight firmly settled into the seat on the other side of him. Sasuke froze.

"Sorry I'm late, kid." It was a whisper, cold/warm and infinitely welcome.

Sasuke settled back into his seat and picked up the other beer. He opened both with his lighter and concentrated on the screen.

His heart was fluttering, and he couldn't get it to stop.

°

"What's your name?"

They were back out on the gravel road, the gray sky dark over the straggling greenery and the droopy flowers. A bird of some kind made its speedy way south above them. The car's windows were rolled down, cold seeping in. The feeling was welcome on their sweaty, tangled bodies.

"Sasuke." the kid answered. "Yours?"

They were on the back seat. The kid – Sasuke – was underneath him, twisted onto his side from the belly-down position of a few minutes ago. His torso was tilted a bit, leaned against the car door so that his head could fall backwards over the window's ledge. His spread legs were still loosely hooked around the man's hips. All in all, it looked incredibly uncomfortable.

But then, car sex wouldn't be car sex without discomfort, without grains and crumbs of unidentified substances getting into insane places and upholstery chafing at areas that most definitely weren't supposed to chafe, without impossibly contorted positions because of the ungodly proportions that seemed made just to kill your back--

Oh, right. His name. "Kabuto."

Sasuke half-opened his eyes, long charcoal lashes brushing over smooth white skin. "Hn."

Kabuto was leaning sideways against the backs of the seats, still in the kneel that their... fun... had required for maximum leverage. His glasses were smudged; he should clean them.

Or maybe not, not while he could slide his hands over that lean, pale and flawless form, lying so vulnerable before, below and around him. Like a cat, stretched out luxuriously in an inappropriate setting.

After all, Aki and Tsume rode home from school on this backseat. Their backpacks sat in this corner then, their artworks there --

Ah, but this was Sasuke.

_Sasuke_... It fit to him, all sibilant and sensual...

Sasuke and Aki and Tsume didn't fit into the same reality. This was Sasuke, this was a gravel road outside the City. This was sweat and groans and grinding, dirt and sex and raw need.

Kabuto let his eyes wander over the teen. They had the almost the same skin color, he realized, though Sasuke's was milkier, more pure. Sasuke's long, wiry muscles lay dormant underneath it, tensing and relaxing at regular intervals. Long, slender, lithe; a work of art.

Sasuke uncurled his legs from around Kabuto's waist. Kabuto's breathing hitched, barely, at the movement – the spreading of those appendages, offering, stirred a warmth in the small of his back – but calmed again when Sasuke turned out to be freeing himself, his form stretching its way around Kabuto and towards their discarded clothes – in the front seat, on the floor, draped over the seats in wild disarray.

Innate grace. Sensual, feline, erotic grace. Perfection – Kabuto didn't know enough words that could convey the full beauty of the kid's movements. White skin, beautifully shifting bones and muscles, showing just enough to be _present_, not enough to seem unhealthy. Black eyes as deep as Loch Ness, cool and indifferent and captivating.

Kabuto dressed along with the kid, sighing inwardly at the stickiness. He could shower when he got home.

Sasuke had lit another cigarette.

He sure smoked a lot.

Fuck, he was beautiful.

Kabuto didn't want to go home.

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hehe...weird chap.

PLEASE REVIEW!

Bambi: I live in Berlin, Germany. Yay for intercontinental relations.

Review please!


	10. Chapter 10

Hey! Guess who?

Lalala...here's chapter 10!

OMG! We're on ten!

Anyway... this chapter...was hard to design. So, basically, the two events happen at pretty much the same time. Kabuto comes first so that I can concentrate on the GaaNaru afterwards. They start within minutes of each other though, so think parallel. YOU CAN DO IT!

Randomness: Lordi

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Suit Square

These were the high-class suburbs; sure, the houses all looked alike and rather like mini-hospitals, but they cost a lot. Status symbols didn't necessarily have to be pretty. Perfectly cropped lawns – god forbid someone would plant flowers here! -- , white paint, two or three sleek cars in each driveway – no, not the garage, who would see the new paint job if it were in the garage? -- , silence.

That was all there was to it. In Kabuto's opinion, anyway.

He'd gone right along with higher corporate society when it came to choosing his house(suburbs; okay, if he had to), his car(hell, it was free, even if the gas wasn't), and his hobbies(sex with a certain beautiful black-haired teen in aforementioned car excluded. Oh, and of course none of his colleagues knew about his _Rambo _obsession. But hey, those were details.).

He'd deviated in only one category.

It was, looking back, the stupidest category to veer off course in. He should have just owned up to liking bad 2D-vids of muscular men killing each other and dreaming of slim boys instead of buxom blondes. Though, to digress for a moment, he did suspect that quite a few of his colleagues were closet homosexuals. He wondered, briefly and with a slight twinge of something that he didn't want to define, how many men from his department had already indulged in Sasuke's charms.

Kabuto brushed the unbidden thought away and went back to bemoaning his lack of clearheadedness. Pulling the key out of the ignition and sliding out of the car, he cast a glance up to the sky. It was close to five, the gray clouds already starting to darken.

Corporate society hadn't evolved that much since its conception sometime in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. The men were tall, wore suits, sat at desks, shouted around, drank brandy with their business associates, paid lots of money for everything, and had wives...

...that were docile, sweet, loving and had the mental capacity of a corncob.

Kabuto adjusted his glasses with a mournful sigh and slammed the car door closed, clicking the 'lock' button on his electric key as he made his way up the grainy concrete of the driveway. The garage door was pulled up, the clutter of Aki and Tsume's toys, bikes, and whatnot friendly in the gloom – it looked lived in. He skirted the bumper of the other car, a gleaming, shocking, frightening pink contraption that he still rued having paid a few thousand cel for.

But it had shut her up, at least.

Up the steps, around the dried out flowerpots – she tried to keep some plants alive on the small porch, and failed miserably except for in the cases of the cacti – and through the door. Kabuto scanned the entrance hall a bit apprehensively – he was in a _very_ good mood; he didn't want it spoiled – and began taking off his shoes.

White walls, of course. The furniture and the tatami were all the same light golden color, a warm tone that made the place at least inhabitable. The entrance hall led to the narrow flight of steps to the second floor, and the kitchen, bathing, living and eating rooms tapered off it on the ground floor.

He dropped his keys on the dresser next to the kitchen doorway. Muffled, exuberant voices sounded from behind the door to the living room – his children -- , but the kitchen was ominously quiet.

Like the silence before a storm, Kabuto thought wryly, and chuckled inwardly at the accuracy of the statement.

He stepped into the kitchen, leaning nonchalantly against the doorframe. "What, I don't get a greeting?"

She was standing at the counter, pouring rock candy into a blue bowl. Kabuto tried hard not to gag. Concentrated sugar. Ugh.

Her head whipped around, her eyes narrowed. Her raucous voice hit his nerves like a chainsaw. "What the fuck is up with you, you piece of shit! Why are you home so fucking late, huh? You think I don't fucking know what's up with you?"

Kabuto adjusted his glasses again. His mood was deteriorating rapidly. "What a loving welcome." An image of Saskue in his kitchen, muttering a taciturn welcome – not smiling, Kabuto wasn't that delusional -- , rose up, and he squelched it. Gah. Not good. Well, yes good, if it were ever to come true, which it wouldn't, but --

Gah. Focused. He had to be focused. What was he doing again?

Pink hair streamed out over tanned skin and pale fabric – she was wearing something amorphous and unflattering – as she stormed over to him, bowl firmly held in one hand. "Damn you, fucker! You think I don't fucking know you're fucking around behind my fucking back?"

Oh, right. Fighting.

"Impressive. I do believe that was five times in two sentences. Though I've heard from reliable sources that you swear even more often while you're spreading your legs for Kidoumaro."

Her teeth gritted audibly, and her hand clenched around the bowl. "Fuck you!"

"No, thank you, Tayuya dear. As you've oh-so-graciously pointed out, I've already done that today, and I must admit that I'm quite worn out."

Well, watching her stalk up the stairs muttering a stream of expletives sure did help his mood recover.

Gah. Why oh why had he felt the need to be a rebel?

Kabuto stepped into the kitchen and took out supplies for dinner. At least Tayuya kept the fridge stocked up. And the maid in line.

A door opened down the hallway, and he smiled slightly – he didn't smile often, but they were worth it.

Well, Tayuya had been good for one thing.

Tsume launched herself at him first, her arms wrapping tightly around his left leg. He chuckled. "Hey, let me keep my balance!"

The little girl grinned up at him, her rose-colored hair mussed from what had probably been a long afternoon of playing. Her lavender eyes were huge and bright in her face as she exclaimed, "Tsume wants spaghetti!"

Kabuto laughed softly. "Huh, she does, does she? Well, we'll see. I might just make spaghetti."

He looked up, following the sound of a second pair of small feet padding softly over the tatami. Aki was wearing his usual defiant expression – he was Tayuya, just a bit calmer and without the swearing – and stepped up to his father with an indignant cry. "You're home late!"

Kabuto finished laying out vegetables to cut and turned to his son, raising an eyebrow. "Was I now?"

"You were!"

Tsume joined in. "Yeah, you were!"

"Well, I was then. But what can I do about it? It's already happened."

The children frowned in unison, puzzling out a good punishment for their tardy father. Kabuto pushed away an image of the reason for his being late, stretched out beneath him on the backseat. No. Aki and Tsume shouldn't be related with Sasuke in his mind. They belonged in two different worlds.

Tsume's face lit up. "I know!"

Aki looked at her skeptically. "What?"

"Spaghetti!"

Kabuto looked at his son. "Good enough?"

Aki scrunched up his face. After a few seconds, he nodded, scowling. "I guess."

Kabuto smiled. "Well then. Now, Tsume, I need to be able to move."

Tsume let go of his leg, and he turned to the counter. "You two can go play again – Aki?"

Aki stopped on his way to the door. "Yes, Dad, I've done my preschool exercises."

Then they were gone, and Kabuto could hear them giggling in the living room. He turned to the vegetables, glancing at the water-filled pot of the oven to check its progress. As he began slicing succulent tomatoes and carrots, he let his mind run over the day. Cooking was relaxing, a way to process the events and calm down.

Work had been uneventful, an unusually large order stressing him slightly – who the _hell_ needed twenty thousand "§§3$6(A/N: Insert impossibly complicated piece of machinery here)s? -- but not enough to be truly angry. Oh, right... there'd been that incident with Sakon, his neighbor – his twin, a punk who seemed to make his living off selling discarded bottle-caps, had appeared at around eleven and demanded money. Otherwise, nothing of note had happened.

Then the vid... he'd been late because of the massive order, had forgotten the time. But the kid -- Sasuke – had still been there, so it ended well. It had been an amazingly stupid vid, entertaining but nothing else.

And... what had come after that...

Kabuto stopped chopping and struggled with his libido for a few moments.

Clamping a decisive hold on his imagination – and memory – he went back to work and let another smile cross his features. It was the smile reserved for the universe that didn't encompass Aki and Tsume, the place that had _Sasuke_ written everywhere.

The next action vid would be playing in two days.

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Okay, so in the end this is one chapter, and the next will be GaaNaru. Remember, that one starts at around five too!

Tell me how you liked this one!

Honestly, reviews make me update! I was about to leave it at one update yesterday, when Bambi left me a nice, longish review, and I cracked. I was all, Aww, how cute...and felt really guilty.

So thank Bambi-chan for chap 9!

And me for chap 10!(And also freakin' idoiot, who REALLY wanted to know who Kabuto was married to)

Please review!


	11. Chapter 11

Randomness. Within Temptation, "Deceiver of Fools"(live)

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Suit Square

Fuck.

He was _scared_, his breath coming erratically and his hands shaking in his pockets.

Why did Gaara want him here this early?

He unlocked the door on the third try, and slipped off his shoes. He stood, and froze.

There were voices. In the living room.

The siblings!

Naruto's heartbeat sped up even more.

He moved to the living room doorway, biting his lip. The woman was perched on the couch as if she belonged there – it _hurt_ to see that -- , the man leaning against the windowsill. Gaara was on the couch in his usual position and with his usual glass, though he was wearing a shirt – something he never did when Naruto came around. The gray, heavy light illuminated them as in a realistic painting, the woman's lips moving animatedly.

The redhead's cold, heavy gaze sought Naruto out, and the other two's eyes alighted on him as well. Naruto tried hard not to gulp. They all had green eyes, though Gaara's were by far the most insane. It was _very_ unnerving to be pinned into place by three pairs of identical orbs.

"Uh...Hi." He managed, and then wanted to slap himself for it. Really _smooth_, man. Fucking hell.

Gaara's head moved in a slight nod, and the blonde woman muttered. "Hello."

The face-paint-wearing man cast Naruto a small grin. "Hey."

Okay... no overly hostile vibes just yet... maybe it could end well? What was 'it', anyway?

Gaara stood and gifted his – Naruto steeled himself – _older brother _with an impatient and completely pissed glare. The man winced and shrank back a fraction. "Right. Let's go."

Naruto frowned. "Go? Where -- " he stilled. Gaara's eyes bored into him, telling him to be quiet. Naruto sighed and followed the three out of the room. What the fuck was going on?

°

Temari was in no way a prude. She was a pretty strong supporter of Free Love, actually, and had absolutely no problem with homosexuals. She knew that Kankuro was gay – he was together with some punk off the streets, they shared a rundown family-block apartment somewhere on the eastern outskirts of the City – and was fine with it, even if she was kind of disturbed whenever she thought of them having sex. Purple facepaint and green lipstick(A/N: Yay! Go tranny twins Sakon and Ukon! You queens ROCK!)? Ugh.

But _Gaara_. Temari had _never_ expected to have to deal with any kind of sexuality from her youngest brother. When they'd first figured out that he liked blood and inflicting pain – she'd been thirteen, Kankuro ten, and Gaara eight, and the redhead had been joyfully eviscerating Temari's hamster – Temari had supposed that that was Gaara's... desire, or whatever. She'd never even considered that he would ever engage in sexual... intercourse.

Well, she snorted inwardly, she'd sure been corrected yesterday morning.

She frantically tried to dispel the unbidden images that rose up into her mind. ARGH!

And what about the kid? That had to be one sick little fuck, to sleep with Gaara... Maybe Gaara was paying him? But no... it looked like a pretty well-established – Temari almost choked – relationship, what with the keys and the kissing – biting – and all. And the kid got a reaction from Gaara...

Temari looked across the bar table to where the kid sat, wild blonde hair in disarray. His skin looked warm and tawny even in the pallid gray light from the windows and the sickly yellow of the overhead neon bars. He was a regular bundle of sunshine, laughing and grinning nonstop. He was busy listening to Kankuro.

"Yeah, and then the Devil says, oh, those are the Catholics. They insisted."

He and Kankuro had hit it off pretty well. They were chuckling just now, about stupid jokes that they both knew.

Temari watched the boy, wondering what was so special about him. From what she'd seen in the kitchen yesterday morning – ahem, hold down a barf -- , the kid was scrawny. Sure, he was pretty, very much so, with those intriguing scars on his cheeks. And he was happy. Fucking hell, was he _happy_. Ugh. Hyperness had never sat well with her.

She glanced over at Gaara. The redhead managed to look dangerous and insane even here, in a dingy cheap bar with bright lights and a miasma of smoke everywhere. He was leaning back in his chair, face expressionless. His eyes flicked – very quickly – to the blonde kid at regular intervals.

Huh. That kid... what was his name again? Naruto?... sure had a weird effect on her littlest brother.

Temari sighed and tossed back the last of her gin tonic. "So, Gaara. Are you doing all right?"

She tensed, as she always did, when those eyes – they were so much like her own, but still so different – shifted to her. Gaara's lips twitched, his head dipped into the barest of nods.

Temari managed a nervous grin. "That's good."

"Um – Gaara?" It was the ki – okay, okay, _Naruto_.

Her brother's gaze moved to the kid, and Temari swore that it softened – a tiny bit.

Naruto seemed to be used to reading Gaara's body language. "Um... I've got to... it's getting late, and – uh..." His voice trailed off. Temari wondered what was wrong. It was barely seven!

And why was he so timid? He had been extraordinarily bold around Gaara up till now, and had seemed nervous only yesterday and for a tiny while at the beginning of today's meeting. She glanced at Kankuro, who looked just as much at a loss as she was.

Naruto had stilled now, staring at the greasy tabletop. Temari looked at Gaara, and recoiled violently.

_Fuck!_

Gaara's eyes had turned to turquoise ice, though his face remained expressionless. His whole body seemed poised on the edge of exploding into undoubtedly violent action as he glared at Naruto.

The blonde teen was biting his lip now. "Uh... okay, then. I'll stay. Sorry."

Gaara relaxed minutely, and his eyes went from glacial to something around melting point. Temari sighed inwardly in relief.

Kankuro seemed to take heart from Gaara's dropping the matter, and asked Naruto with a frown, "Are you sure? If you get in trouble with your parents because of us -- "

Naruto's eyes widened, and he looked as if he'd just been hit over the head with a two-by-four. "My... _parents?_" He repeated, looking bewildered.

Temari nodded, noting with more relief that Gaara didn't seem to care much about their current conversation, watching them with bored-looking eyes. "Yeah, if you have a curfew – we don't want to get you in trouble."

Naruto was staring nervously at Gaara. His lips twisted into a slightly bitter, wavering grin. "Oh. Yeah. No, I don't have a curfew. It's fine."

Kankuro and Temari glanced at each other curiously, and Kankuro said. "Well, that's good."

A cold voice froze them all into place. "You can go, Naruto."

The teen looked up at Gaara. His bright, bright blue eyes were completely filled with elation. Was he that happy to leave? Or was it something else? Temari was utterly confused. And had Gaara just...

... _spoken_...

... without being prompted ten times beforehand?

Gaara was still and emotionless, not showing anything but boredom. Big surprise there... Tch.

Naruto stood, grinning around the table. "Was fun today. Thanks for the drinks. And the jokes." Wow, he was even more hyper now, happiness almost pouring out of his skin. What the hell had just happened... ?

Kankuro raised a hand in farewell, confusion still visible under his facepaint. He managed an answering grin. "Yeah, it was cool. We'll do it again?" -- a glance at Gaara.

The redhead lifted a shoulder in an almost-shrug, and Kankuro's grin widened. "Yeah, we'll do it again."

Naruto nodded, chuckling, and gave Temari a small wave. He let a hand drift towards Gaara, in an abbreviated motion that the redhead acknowledged with a tiny, almost invisible grin.

Well, at least they hadn't kissed – bit – whatever.

The bar's smudged glass door slammed behind the kid, and they watched him hurry off down the sidewalk. Past him, the street was clogged with gleaming cars, the sterile buildings dreary in the gray evening glow. Lights blinked everywhere, and passersby bustled and pushed their way to their private destinations.

Temari had never really liked the City... she turned to her brothers. "Well, I suppose I'll get going too. It was fun, guys."

Her siblings nodded – well, Kankuro did – and she left the bar with a sigh of relief, shivering against the new cold. Cars honked, and she could feel the pollution laying itself over skin like a sticky blanket. Yes, in a way it had been fun. And that kid was truly something else...

What the hell had that been, the nervousness and the happiness?

Weird kid.

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Heh. There, chap 10.

You know, I've been rewatching Naruto on Youtube, and something popped into my mind...

How many acres of virgin forest do you think they destroyed in all?

I mean, those jutsus are positively forest decimators!

Slice, Slice, crash!

Agh! The poor future kids of that world... they'll be suffering major CO2 overload!

Anyway, please review! I thought this chapter was kind of choppy...

Tell me what you think!

See you all later!


	12. Chapter 12

Hey! Guess who?

Anyway... I've been watching Last Exile(Courtesy of my artsy, anime-obsessed landlord) and dude, is that a cool series or WHAT!

Awesome! I totally recommend it!

And it's slashable! Yay! I'm off to read some yaoi for it as soon as my Internet stops flashing on and off all the time... argh. I hate this shit... took me six tries(no kidding!) to get chapter 11 up...

Grr.

So...here's chap 12! I'm hoping for some Kanky in here, but we'll have to wait and see how it turns out...

Randomness: Within Temptation. Same as last chapter... hehe. °sweatdrop°

and **LISTEN EVERYBODY!**

It's a festive occasion!

I got a **FLAME** for Whore Street! Yay!

User **'tsusami'** declared:

_I've been skimming your story. You may have won over the 14 year olds, but I fear it's too OCC for my tastes. I'm also kinda disturbed by how lightly you treat abuse in relationships. It's not even good angst. Naruto cutting himself aside, you've totally misunderstood the relationship between Zabuza and Haku if you've reduced them to an abusive couple. You've completely failed to capture the qualities that make these characters enjoyable. Naruto doesn't angst. He loathes people that cry and feel sorry for themselves. Take a look at the anime again. I'm assuming you haven't read the manga cuz if you did, you'd know that Gaara isn't crazy like you've portrayed him. Next time post a warning that your characters are all OOC?_

Heh. Poor her...anyway, just wanted to share that with you all. Sorry the AN got so long... on to the STORY! Lol, I got another review saying I've been getting a lot of OOC criticism... which I haven't... the flame and that review bring it up to a grand total of... **TWO CRITICISMS**... LOL. Anyway, I'm kinda pissed just now... even though I actually like constructive criticism...but the FLAME! AGH! Anyway, I'm finally finished now. The show must go on!

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Suit Square

"Hey, did you get milk?"

Kankuro grunted an absentminded affirmative, before stiffening and saying, "Oh, shit, no. I forgot."

His lover appeared in the entrance to the bedroom, leaning against the door frame. They'd taken the door itself out a while ago. It had gotten in the way of... reaching the bed. His almond-shaped eyes were narrow. "Kankuro! Goddammit, what's so hard about getting milk?"

Kankuro ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, well... I was kinda preoccupied. Sorry about that. I'll get it tomorrow."

The other man huffed out an indignant sigh. "Whatever."

Kankuro put his script – stupid romance plays – aside and let himself fall back onto his elbows, watching his lover with a grin. The slender man's silver hair – streaked with deep green highlights – fell rakishly over his right eye, and was still wet from his recent shower. He was wearing a pair of ripped and faded black jeans and nothing else, the pants riding low on his hipbones and his flat, pale abdomen.

His lips – painted the same mesmerizing green as the streaks in his hair -- , his arched eyebrows, and his nose glittered and gleamed in the light of the overhead lamp, silver rings and buttons and chains – there was one contraption in his nostril that had a chain linking it to the soft skin of an earlobe, metal links tinkling and brushing across the pale expanse of the cheek – decorating the man's body. His rose-colored nipples had small rings, his bellybutton – his ears were positively buried beneath metal and small, fake crystals.

"Ah... I know that look. It's the Get Into Bed Look." The thin, painted lips smiled and parted, the tongue ring visible behind and beneath white teeth.

Kankuro grinned lazily. "It sure is."

His lover came closer. "You know I'm not one to ignore a Get Into Bed Look, but I _really_, _really_ want to know what exactly has you so far gone that you forgot to go shopping."

"Hey! I remembered the pickles! And the ice cream --"

"Yeah, but you forgot the milk. So tell me."

"I told you already. You're the forgetful one. I was talking about it yesterday."

"Tch. When?"

"Right after I came home."

"Right after... Hey! Stuff you say during sex does not count! We went through this already! I completely ignore anything you say during intercourse. You know that."

Kankuro winced. Once again, Gaara had to be put into a sexual context in his mind... "It wasn't during sex, man. Don't tell me you really forgot? My little brother?"

His lover curled his lip. "Oh. Right." Then an eyebrow rose, amused. "I remember now... You walked in on him, didn't you?"

Kankuro groaned. "Yeah... anyway, I also told you that I was meeting him today. With Temari and --"

"And his boytoy. I remember. So... was it bad?"

Kankuro shrugged. "Not really. The kid – the one he's... well, anyway, he's cool. Enough. Laughs a lot."

"Should I get jealous?" His lover was kneeling on the floor, elbows on the edge of the bed. He wore an expression of studious boredom.

"_No!_ My god, he's _Gaara's sextoy_. Are you crazy? Even if I wanted to – which I don't, he's still a minor – I'm not suicidal, so no."

The other man inspected a painted nail. The green lacquer was chipped and peeling. "Oh. All right. What's up then?"

Kankuro shrugged again. "I don't really know. Gaara kind of freaked me out."

"When does he do anything else?"

"..."

"See? No big problem after all."

Kankuro snarled in frustration. "Yeah, but that's not all. Okay, get this; This kid, right – he wanted to leave. And Gaara almost blew up right then and there."

His lover cast him an exasperated glance. "So? Even though I haven't met your brother, I kind of deduce from the fact that he's the Sandman that he's got a few screws loose. How is him blowing up a big thing?"

"Well, okay... but that wasn't really it. It's more the kid that got me. It's just, then I was like, if his parents had a problem with him staying out late then he should go home, and he looked shocked for some reason."

"Fuck – how young is he? Parents?"

"Well, he's a minor. He looks like thirteen or something."

"Ew."

"Yeah, I guess. Well, anyway, then he went all weird and was like, no, he didn't have a curfew."

"And then?"

"Then Gaara told him to leave, and he got even more hyper and bouncy and disappeared."

His lover shook his head. "Teenagers. Annoying little bastards."(AN: I am a teenager myself, this is in no way my opinion)

Kankuro let out a long breath. "Yeah, whatever. But he was... he was so bouncy before the going home thing... it could have been because of Gaara's going all psycho, but he really changed just as we mentioned his parents. And then when Gaara let him leave, he was... like a glowing sign, 'I'm Happy'. Weird."

The other man shrugged gracefully, supremely uninterested. "So?"

Kankuro mock-punched him in the shoulder. "You know, you could at least _act _as if you cared, Ukon."

Ukon grinned. "Nah."

"Have we got anything to eat?"

"Frozen stuff. I've put a pizza in the oven."

"... How long will it take?"

Ukon glanced over at the alarm clock on the bedside table. "Fifteen more minutes."

Kankuro let his lips curve up. "Well, then..."

The silver-haired man laughed and stood, unbuttoning his pants.

Kankuro could puzzle the kid out later.

°

Naruto glared up at the sky. It was drizzling. Lights blinked, bright and intrusive, all around him, the smell of gas and the sound of idling engines mixing together to form a harsh, hectic mural. He slipped his latest payment into his bag and slid out of the car, nodding a goodbye at the customer.

Sasuke and Ino were the only Konoha whores on the curb, Ino resplendent in a lacy bra and tight, form-fitting jeans. She gave Naruto a little wave in greeting. Before the whole thing with Gaara, she'd been extremely bitchy to Naruto, but she'd warmed up since. It was pretty strange, because she'd also been completely obsessed with Sasuke before the incident, but now she'd really cooled down.

Whatever; Naruto had never understood girls. He grinned back at her.

Sasuke was smoking – shockingly! He was really going to die someday of lung cancer – and had that expression on his face, that I'm-off-somewhere-really-nice-so-don't-you-dare-disturb-me smile/scowl thingie. He'd been wearing it almost nonstop for two days now, and it intrigued Naruto to no end. But despite being more friendly than usual, Sasuke was also much more distanced. He didn't really talk with Naruto in the normal way – his proclamations of 'dobe' and 'usuratonkachi' had gotten few and far between.

Naruto glanced around, but Ino had just snagged the next unoccupied customer on their stretch of curb, so he stayed where he was. He grinned at Sasuke, and asked, "So why are you all happy, teme?"

Sasuke looked up at him, removing the cig from his mouth. "Dunno. What are _you_ all hyped up about?"

He was hyped up? Why?

Oh, duh. "Oh, I just am."

Gaara! It hadn't been a break-up! It had been... well, Naruto had no idea what it had been. It had been fun though, and Gaara had said Naruto's name in front of his siblings! And spoken to him!

Naruto frowned slightly, remembering the context in which it had happened. His... parents... Kankuro – that was a pretty cool guy, he knew the Aldi joke! -- had assumed he lived with them. Naruto held back a wry chuckle. A curfew... heh. Funny one, that.

But it was slightly frightening. Naruto had been living in prostitute society for a long, long time – seen relatively to his age, that is – and usually didn't do much outside of it. Sure, there was Gaara – but he'd met him on Whore Street. In fact, Naruto almost never left Whore Street, aside from going to Gaara's place. As a consequence, he rarely got any insults or weird looks pertaining to his profession. Sure, the people who lived on Whore Street sometimes stared, but they were used to all the whoring and really didn't care all that much anymore... at least, not enough to go out of their way to be mean to the sex workers.

The last time Naruto had gotten unpleasant remarks and such had been on Slum Street. And those had been from other whores. Basically, Naruto had almost never encountered animosity because of what he did.

But what if Kankuro and Temari knew? They weren't whores, weren't used to whores – Naruto was pretty sure. He shivered a bit. Would they think it weird that he did what he did?

Gaara didn't mind, though – as long as he didn't shove it into his face. And since they seemed completely freaked out by their brother, they probably wouldn't say anything about it if they knew and cared.

However, Naruto had really warmed up to Kankuro. He was fun, and Naruto wouldn't mind having another joke-trading session with him. But if he knew...

Naruto growled. Whatever. Not now, it was work time.

He scanned the curb, noting with relief that there were new cars there. He stepped toward the nearest, giving Sasuke a parting cry of "Teme!"

Sasuke watched the blonde run off, inhaling deeply of his cig. He was happy, was he?

Well, maybe he was. He'd had wonderfully uncomfortable sex on the backseat of a car this afternoon, and he hadn't been paid for it. It had been fun, not work.

And in two days, it was going to happen again.

So, yeah.

He was happy.

The voice muttered, _Oh please. Don't be so dense. You know that's not all._

In Sasuke's opinion, it _was_ all.

And from now on, the voice would be officially Ignored.

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Okay. I liked this chappie, actually. I love the twins to death, so Ukon helped me recover from my flame-induced gloom.

Anyway, I'm sorry about the short chaps...

I can't really help it. I reach a point where I'm like... Oooh. That's a great place to stop. And then I do. My chapters and stories are not planned at all, so forgive me.

Please review!


	13. Chapter 13

Lalala. Am in an awesomely good mood thanks to my two last reviewers, valagen and Bambi. Thank you so much for your politeness and support and all that heart-softening whatnot. It's wonderful. And a thankyou to all my other reviewers as well. I love you all, and I promise you that I'm rarely as moody as I was in the last AN. It simply infuriated me...oh well. So. Here's chapter 13(Woohoo, the fateful number...) with...

I have no clue.

**Chiru: **Seeing as you didn't call me a stupid person who has neither read the manga nor watched the anime, and truly tried to point out my errors, that's okay with me... and yes, I know that I miss out on some character's finer points. And it's not like I expected you to read through all my reviews to look for the crit on OOCness. It just surprised me, because I read the review at around the same time as the flame, and so I wondered what had brought on this storm of crit...Anyway, I'm glad you like it better now!

Randomness: Within Temptation, "Jane Doe"(live). Yes, I know I'm obsessed. I just love the song, and since I download all my CDs illegally from a German piracy site, I usually download, then listen for ages to the same CD. Bear with me.

Okay, and I now have a vague idea for this chap... so, it's the evening of the day after the "family time", in case anyone gets confused.

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Suit Square

Kiba swallowed a mouthful of gooey, warm ramen with an inward sigh. Sure, ramen tasted okay. And yeah, the ramen place on the Street made the best in the area. But still... couldn't someone open up some kind of restaurant or a fast food place? Anything? So that to eat something other than ramen for dinner, you didn't have to lug food around from somewhere else or have to walk for twenty minutes to get sticky sweet stuff from the shop over on Nom Street?

Grr.

Kiba glanced over at Shino, who was eating his own bowl of ramen with his normal aloof expression firmly in place. The other kid's pale skin looked sickly in the pallid blue-gray twilight, his glasses glinting like some kind of impenetrable barrier.

"You okay?"

Shino nodded slightly.

Kiba returned the gesture and settled back against the store window, grimacing a bit as the cement of the frame dug into his spine. Akamaru was curled up between the hobos, his tail swishing lazily in sleep. An opened bottle of soda stood under the overhanging ledge formed by the window, next to Shino's glass boxes of bugs and dirt. They had unpacked the blanket again, and had spread it over their legs. It wasn't really cold yet, but it could get there in the night.

Kiba started as Tenten's head, her dark hair in disarray and falling out of the buns she usually kept it in, fell against his shoulder. "Shit, girl, don't scare me like that!"

Tenten managed to lever herself into a crouch and grinned, "Tch. A sense of humor wouldn't kill you, you know."

Kiba frowned. "I have a sense of humor."

Tenten smiled lazily, got to her feet – she was wearing a pink minidress, Chinese style – and raised her half-full bottle of vodka to her lips. "Yeah... _Right_."

Ino was reclining in the girls' nest of lingerie and bright fluffy blankets, one of Sasuke's cigarrettes poised in a delicate hand and a nailpolish-brush gleaming a bright metallic blue in the other. She looked up from her feet, the glistening blue paint drying quickly on her toenails. "Oh _please_. Kiba, your sense of humor equals a three-year-old's; potty jokes."

From the mattress in front of Kiba and Shino, Naruto chimed in brightly, "Oh, I'll second that!"

Kiba sucked up the last of his ramen and huffed out an indignant, "Pfft."

The girls and Naruto laughed. Tenten offered her vodka to Kiba as an apology, and he took a swig, wincing slightly at the stinging, sharp taste. Ino turned back to her toenails.

Shikamaru was in his usual trance-like state, though he did accept Tenten's offer of vodka. An empty plastic bowl stood next to his pile of stuff – Kakashi had treated them all today.

The silver-haired shopkeeper was inside, with Iruka. None of the whores needed clarification as to what they were doing. The sound effects were enough.

Sasuke was smoking and staring off into space, that weird new look on his face. Naruto was curled up next to him, playing with his keychain. The little red fox on it swung up, down – back and forth. It was shortly before work, and the whores would be getting ready in earnest soon.

Tenten returned to Ino and her nest, settling down onto the blankets. She drunk more of the alcohol, and slid her long, bare legs against each other. Kiba knew the motion well; Ino and Tenten always did it subconsciously, checking how smooth their legs were. It was strange, but second nature to most of the female whores. And to the trannies, of course.

They were quiet then, Kiba setting down his bowl and pushing Akamaru out of the way gently so that he could lean into Shino. The other boy started slightly before relaxing and pulling the blanket farther up around the two of them. Kiba placed a kiss on the pale neck, grinning. "Love you."

It had become normal for Kiba to say it after Christmas and the present, but Shino still froze up a bit in surprise every time he did so. Kiba laughed softly and wrapped his arms around the unresponsive teen. "Tch, you're frozen!"

Shino hissed. "Kiba, you idiot."

Kiba just hugged him harder.

°

It was seven-thirty, and time to get ready.

Ino and Tenten were finished quickly, Tenten putting her hair into its buns, straightening her dress, slipping on delicately laced up high heels, slinging her purse over one shoulder and taking a last swig of vodka before stepping out onto the sidewalk to greet some acquainted whores. Ino fastened her favorite blue bra on, wriggled into her tight jeans, buckled up her shiny red boots, bummed another cigarette off Sasuke – finished. She snatched up her beltpouch with the usual paraphernalia – condoms and such – and followed Tenten out from under the awning.

Shikamaru did nothing except pull his ponytail a bit tighter and exchange his casual T-shirt for a mess of mesh. He stayed where he was, waiting until the first customers arrived before getting up.

Sasuke watched the others, easily stepping through his usual routine – a comb through his rebellious hair, shoulder bag on, boots on. Naruto did exactly the same across from him, except that he wore sneakers instead of boots. The whole thing was pretty mechanical, perfected over months of practice.

Sasuke lit a cig once he'd buckled his boots on, standing up and leaving the space under the awning. The Konoha's bright sign cast an ugly, lurid glow on his black clothing. The sky was a midnight blue, stars faint and smudged above a thick layer of smog.

Naruto mock-punched Sasuke's shoulder, coming up to him. "Hey, teme, you're still weirdly happy..."

Sasuke made a dismissive sound, and Naruto laughed. "Whatever, man. Ah, the first cars."

Sasuke didn't need him to tell him; the lights flashed abrasively on the sidewalk and his clothes, stinging his eyes with yellow and orange. Behind them, Kakashi and Iruka resurfaced, the Konoha's door opening with a squeak and a crash. The two men were murmuring soft nonsense.

"Sasuke! Naruto!"

Lee came bounding up, immemsely happy as always and his teeth sparkling even in the darkness. "How are you, friends?"

Naruto grinned. "Great, you?"

Sasuke nodded a noncommittal hello.

"I am doing wonderfully! Neji has invited me to a Valentine's Day date!"

Sasuke nearly gagged. Argh. Lee was very, very obsessed with this Neji dude.

Naruto laughed weakly. "Ah... that's great... Good for you."

Lee nodded and sped off, calling, "I am off to work!"

Sasuke and Naruto stood in silence for a bit, Sasuke finishing his cigarette viciously. A Valentine's Day date...

Tch. Why was he thinking of the suit? Oh please. That would be pathetic. NO WAY!

The voice muttered something, but Sasuke was still officially Ignoring it.

Naruto sighed very quietly next to him, and Sasuke looked at him. Huh. Gaara probably wasn't a person to ask for a Valentine's Day date.

Naruto's bright eyes turned to him, and the younger kid grinned suddenly. "Well then, work awaits, teme!" He walked to the curb and one of the waiting cars.

Sasuke made to follow him, forcefully Ignoring the voice and the images in his head. Ugh. He didn't like Valentine's Day, dammit!

Exactly. He _hated_ Valentine's Day. It was a commercial trap, that was all.

And besides, he was seeing the suit tomorrow. On a date.

Sasuke froze in mid-step.

GAH!

It wasn't a date, dammit!

-- _dense idiot -- _

And he was still Ignoring the voice!

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Heh. Well. Just wanted to write a bit about the Konoha. I think the next chapter will be after a time jump... not sure though.

Thank you, all reviewers! I love you!

Please review again!

See you later...


	14. Chapter 14

Hey! I'm Back and all that...

Anyway, this chapter takes place after a Time Jump(Why am I capitalizing so much...?). Hmm... Let's say, ten days after the last chap.

Randomness: Theater of Tragedy, "Exile"

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Suit Square

"Come on, Kankuro! Quit being such a wuss and get dressed."

Kankuro glared up at Ukon from his comfortable position on the bed. "You only want my car."

Ukon grinned slightly and flicked his tongue at his boyfriend. "What else?"

The younger man threw his script at his lover, who dodged it nimbly. "I don't want to go to a club. I have a show tomorrow, and if I've got a hangover I won't be able to move my fingers for the puppets. Not to mention that my voice'll be gone."

Ukon made a dismissive motion with one long, pale hand – he'd even reapplied his green nail polish for tonight. "Quit moping and get up. We're going to that club. Now."

Kankuro sat up halfway. "Ukon! I can't just miss a show! And that is what will happen if I go out, dance and get smashed tonight."

The silver-haired man picked up Kankuro's script, sighing long and mournfully. Kankuro watched him warily. Something wasn't right...

Ukon looked up and gave his lover the sweetest, fakest smile possible. "All right then, I guess I'll just go alone..."

Kankuro watched him, still suspicious, as he sauntered out of the bedroom.

"...and you won't be getting any sex for the next week." The melodic, softly rasping voice continued from the living room/kitchen.

Kankuro jumped up from the bed. "Okay, okay! I'm getting dressed! Now! And then we can go."

Ukon returned to the doorway, grinning lasciviously. "Heh."

The puppeteer tossed on a pair of jeans and a black turtleneck, picking up his make up kit and hurrying into the bathroom. He'd gone through the sex-deprivation punishment once before, and Oh God had it been torture.

"But, you know," he called as he set to work on his face paint, "if I get fired for for this, we'll be out of the apartment."

Ukon walked up behind him, setting his script down next to the sink. "Nah," he murmured, wrapping his arms around Kankuro's waist, "I'll just bug Sakon for money until you find the next theater that'll take you."

"Figures that I would be the only one to look for a job." Kankuro muttered as he waited for his hand to steady from the sudden embrace.

Ukon chuckled. "It does, doesn't?"

Kankuro finished his facepaint, and they left, taking the family block's lift down to the garage. Kankuro had managed to get an apartment in one of the nicer blocks – meaning elevator and parking lot. His car was one of his prized possessions, and he hadn't wanted to settle for a place without a garage.

Ukon stretched languorously as they made their way towards the sleek, black car. He was dressed up, wearing a loose, pale T-shirt decorated with many multicolored patches and safety pins and tight, low-riding red checkered pants, chains looped around his hips as a jangling belt. His heavy dark green boots clomped loudly onto the concrete. All of his piercings glittered in the neon light, his chain-earring thing sporting a new chain of medallions that clinked against each other softly.

Kankuro unlocked the sleek vehicle with a click of his electric key, and they got in. "So, why is this club so great?"

"It's new, and big."

"And otherwise?"

Ukon shrugged. "Dunno. Sakon said it was supposed to be cool."

"Sakon'll be there...?" He started the car.

His lover nodded. "Yeah, Sakon, Kidomaro, Jiroubo, Tayuya, even Kimimaro – Ooooh, I love this sound," he purred as the engine growled to life. "I really should start thinking about getting a license."

"Yeah, maybe you should. Huh, so that whole clique of yours will be there... I think I'll call Temari then. You know I don't get along well with any of them aside from Sakon and Kidomaro. Which way is it?"

They were out of the garage by now, on the street towards the City center. It was pretty late already, nine o'clock at least, and the scrubby, straggling park around the cluster of family blocks that they lived in was dark and empty to either side of them. Up ahead, the next buildings began, glowing with televid light and alarm lights. Beyond those began the first skyscrapers, dark but for a few rectangles of yellow light.

Ukon waved a hand in a lazy gesture. "Off to the right at the next stoplight. Where's your cellphone? I'll call the blondie."

"Here. Why are you being so helpful? You don't like Temari."

"Nah, but I like a cranky you even less, so I'll do you this favor."

"Okay..."

Kankuro concentrated on the road, tuning out Ukon's hoarse, husky voice as his lover greeted his sister on the phone. He hadn't seen Temari since... well, since the time they'd met up with Naruto and Gaara. She'd want to come, no doubt; she always liked to party, even if her job at the Meteorologic Institute called for her to be up at ungodly hours. Somehow she always managed to get up on time... unlike Kankuro.

He sighed inwardly. This was going to suck a bit; he'd lose his job for sure. It hadn't been anything great, the theater rundown, the boss picky and precise. And tonight would be worth it... besides, Kankuro would never sacrifice sex with Ukon for a job. That was just... insane. But still, Kankuro tried to be consistent with work and such, and it would be kind of annoying to be back on square one.

Oh well. No big deal; he would easily get some kind of job. He'd long since given up on Ukon getting a job. His lover was just too out there for anything remotely respectable, and Kankuro didn't feel like getting the Force on his back for illegal activities. They got enough warnings and fines as it was, what with their frequent bar brawling and drugs.

He wondered briefly how Gaara got his money. He didn't seem the type to be flipping burger's at a Cheap-Burger's place. Huh. That was a pretty funny mental image.

Ukon hit his shoulder, startling him. He looked over at him. "What?"

"Temari says she'll come, but we have to pick her up. Her car is in the workshop or something."

Kankuro groaned. "Can't she just take the fucking bus? I don't like her neighborhood. All those whores."

"Tch, wuss. You only have to drive through Whore Street once. Her place isn't _that _out of the way."

"Gah, okay, whatever." He returned his attention to the street. They were further in the City now, the lights brightening. Well, if Temari came, they would most certainly talk about Gaara...

Gaara hadn't seemed to mind it when Kankuro had told him to stay in touch, so that they could repeat the family time thing. It had been fun, after all, and he really wanted to see Naruto again – he'd remembered a great Mexican joke. Kankuro had decided, in retrospect, that that kid had really done wonders with Gaara. Though the teen's mood swings still seemed weird to him. But he could deal with mood swings; Hell, he had _Temari _as a sister, and the Sandman as a brother. Mood swings were nothing.

Ukon poked him, and the car nearly veered into a shopfront. "Ukon! The fuck!"

His lover just laughed his harsh laugh and said, "You have to turn onto Whore Street here."

"I know, I know. I'm the one with a car here, man."

"Tch. Details."

Kankuro hated Whore Street. He didn't really know why, he just did. There was something incredibly disturbing about all the flashing lights, the long lines of cars, the bustling parking lot. He hadn't driven through here for a long time, and looked around despite himself.

Ukon, being Ukon, immediately started up a commentary. "Oooh, lookit. The transvestites... hey, they're pretty convincing, plastic surgery must have advance quite a lot--"

"Ukon--"

"Hmm? Oh, check that girl out! She's wearing--"

"_Ukon._"

"Oh please. Quit being so uptight. Sex is sex, and if some people pay for it then that's their own fault. You're acting like a nun."

"Yeah, well... It's kind of normal to-- Fuck! I hate this!"

A car had darted out of the line along the curb, effectively cutting Kankuro's own vehicle off. He seethed, waiting for it to leave. Ukon laughed next to him. "God, that shop! It's so fucking bright... Feels like my eyes are burning out or something... Ooooh, he's cute! Check it out, Kankuro!"

Kankuro choked out a half-formed protest as his boyfriend managed to pull him around. "Ukon, _quit_, for fuck's sake--"

He froze. He knew that face. Three identical scars on each golden cheek, bright blue eyes wide with elation or something like it, hair messy and spiky and blonde.

Ukon grinned at him. "Cute, huh? He's pretty young though. I've got a friend on Whore Street, she says that they have this group of whores who are all underage-- Kankuro? Are you okay?"

Kankuro stared at the kid on the sidewalk, laughing and talking to another, equally pretty boy with black hair. Behind them something flashed hot pink – a sign. Blankets and stuff were strewn out under an awning – beds and bags...

'My_...parents_?'

Ukon shook him. "Hey, come on. He's not _that _pretty. What's up?"

"Th-that's Gaara's... Naruto."

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Hehe. Well, yeah. Sucks for them... Next chap is more KabuSasu, I think.

Thanks for reviewing!

Please give me more!


	15. Chapter 15

Hey! Okay, I want to make one thing clear: Despite all speculation on his age, Naruto is FOURTEEN, going on fifteen. He looks younger, which is why it might come across as if he's thirteen or something. Trust me though, he's not. I'm a HUGE fan of shouta, but it isn't exactly the perfect setting for shouta in here, so... yeah.

**Chiru: **It's fine, sorry if I made you feel as though you had to defend yourself. I've gotten a new wave of reviewers for Whore Street – most of them positive – and I'm glad that I now know where they came from. LJ rec... hmm... well, that kind of makes me feel proud... heh. Anyway, thanks for reviewing!

**Tenka-chan:** Yes, I can read ShikaTem... I kind of like the pairing. It might end up that way, though since I've overdone Shikamaru's laziness to the point of making him a vegetable, I'm really not sure how that could work out. If anyone has suggestions... I could also make it yuri... ?

Thanks to all other reviewers! I love you!

And a random side note: Ukon giggles. Both the twins giggle. It's true! In the anime, they giggle! And another tidbit of info that no one really cares about(Fuck, my AN's are getting long): I chose Ukon over Sakon as Kanky's bf because of his voice. Sakon whines, and Ukon rasps. Rasping is sexy.

Okay, now we can get on with it.

Randomness: No music! Gah... too lazy to open Winamp...

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Suit Square

Ukon was still giggling insanely from time to time when they finally made it to Temari's apartment building. Kankuro was slightly in shock, slightly tired, and _very _annoyed – at his cackling boyfriend for one, and at the inconsiderate car drivers on Whore Street for another.

Temari lived three streets away from Whore, in a dingy little alley-like thing named after some obscure philosopher. It was gray, chipping concrete and peeling paint, rundown, and pretty dead at night. Kankuro had never really understood why his sister chose to live here – as a scientist, she made more than enough money to live in a nicer area. Whenever the subject came up, though, she would get all worked up over how he just couldn't understand the principle of being attached to a place -- she loved its seediness, it was nice and cozy, bla, bla, bla...

Anyway, she liked it. Kankuro parked the car between a huge dumpster and a couch that looked as if it had been thrown out of someone's window and then set upon with long, pointy objects. Ukon giggled again, softly, and this time it was about the couch. Before, he'd been laughing about Naruto. Kankuro hadn't really understood what had been funny about the fact that the kid – he couldn't be much older than thirteen, for fuck's sake! -- was a whore, and hadn't wanted to ask. Ukon had a pretty sick sense of humor, and a very graphic imagination, and besides – Kankuro still hadn't completely gotten his mind around the idea.

It made sense, in a weird, sad way – Naruto's reaction to them mentioning his parents, the sex... Kankuro pushed the images away. After all, a normal thirteen-year-old didn't usually have sex with a twenty-four-year old. Not to mention that the twenty-four-year old was a serial killer and rather insane.

Did Gaara know?

It wasn't really clear. After all, Gaara _had_ gone ballistic when Naruto had wanted to go, at the outing. But that could easily just have been Gaara's madness speaking. And besides, Gaara was way to possessive to allow his boytoy to whore... Right? Or maybe he was paying him to be his sextoy?

Gah, it was all so confusing. And Naruto was so _young_.

He got out of the car, leaving Ukon to his twisted humor, and walked up the crumbling steps of Temari's apartment building. He located the bell and rang, then leaned against the metal banister of the landing to wait for her – the houses here almost never had working intercoms. Something with teens and their fondness for sticking knives everywhere...

Teens. And back to Naruto again! God, first he had sex with Gaara on a kitchen counter – in front of Kanuro's poor eyes, no less – and then he turned out to be a prostitute... ack! What was it with teens today! Kankuro sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair. He needed a very, very stiff drink.

This was turning out to be a very eventful night... the decision to get fired, finding out about Naruto, and then he would still be facing a couple of hours in the vicinity of Ukon's – mostly – viciously evil friends. Why oh why had he agreed to this...

Oh, right. Sex deprivation. Okay, it was all worth it.

Still. Naruto a prostitute. It was hard to imagine – and Kankuro didn't really _want_ to imagine it.

Then again, the kid was cool. Wait – why 'then again'?

Oh no.

Had Kankuro turned into a nun as Ukon had said? He wasn't that kind of guy – hell, he was gay, he'd had enough intolerance heaped onto his back to know it sucked – and it was Naruto's life, right?

Right. Kankuro nodded slightly to drive the point home, and as if summoned by the conclusion of his bout of intense thinking, Temari opened the peeling wooden door to the building with a creak. She breezed out in her usual club attire, and Kankuro's mind went blank from horror for a second, before he managed to croak something like, "Mfghrtrfg--"

He should have remembered that Temari liked to be up to date with the latest fashion, and that the latest fashion was _no _fashion --

His sister grinned up at him, before frowning and asking, "Kankuro?"

Kankuro made another horrified, Neanderthal-worthy sound before she understood. "Oh, sorry." She shrugged into her fluffy lavender coat. "Better?"

Kankuro nodded. "Y-yeah. _Never_ do that again."

"Sorry again. But mesh is in. And not wearing anything benea--"

"Temari!"

"Oh, right. Well, can we go now?"

Kankuro nodded again, and they stepped towards the car, where Ukon was already leaning out of a fully open window, elbows on the sill and silver hair gleaming in the faint, smog-drowned moonlight. "Hey, blondie!"

"Hey, piercing-boy." Neither of the two really liked the other, but as a favor to Kankuro they kept their dislike from escalating into full-blown brawls. As long as they were sober, at least.

Ukon giggled suddenly, his husky, harsh voice mischievous. "Guess what we just saw on Whore Street!"

Kankuro groaned softly, slamming the door behind Temari as she slid onto the back seat. He heard his sister's shrug, a rustle of fake lavender fur and and a soft slither of leather on leather. "Dunno. What?"

Kankuro got into the driver's seat, muttering, "Naruto."

Ukon snarled in mock frustration. "Fuck you! I wanted to tell her!"

Temari cocked her head, long silver earrings jangling softly. "Naruto? On Whore Street?"

Kankuro nodded. "Yeah."

His sister didn't seem surprised, her eyes narrowing contemplatively. "Do you think..."

"Gaara knows? I don't know. He did kind of get pissed when Naruto wanted to leave last time, so maybe he does." Kankuro said, started the car. "Which way, Ukon?"

"It's in the back of Suit Square."

"Suit Square? Could I have it in non-street terms?"

Temari huffed out a bit of laughter. "City Plaza, man. It's in the back of the building of the virtcinema."

"Oh."

The blonde continued speaking. "Anyway, about Naruto. Don't you think Gaara might be paying him?"

"Maybe, but he was enjoying himself so much – unless he's a good actor --"

Ukon interrupted them, his grating voice cold. "Tch. Quit it. If the kid is a whore, then he's a whore. If Mr. Insane pays him, then he does. Who cares?"

They fell silent. Kankuro glanced over at his lover; Ukon was scowling, teeth worrying at a lip ring.

"True enough, Ukon. We'll shut up about it." Kankuro nodded again, almost unconsciously, as he finished the statement. It was Naruto's life, after all.

°

The club was huge, as Ukon had said. The beat of the music sent tremors through the guests, pounding hard and heavy in warm, reddish darkness. Bodies twisted and turned everywhere, multicolored lights flashing out over the crowd from time to time. A few virts, glowing eerily as they spun out over the heads of the dancers, made their appearance during each song, three-dimensional images of beautiful men and women.

They had ensconced themselves in one of the alcoves – the club designers had left the concrete walls as they were, and it looked like they'd blown holes into the walls with dynamite or something -- , squeezing around a low chunk of concrete that served as a table, sitting down on the soft jelly-filled fake-velvet sacks that served as chairs and draping themselves over others' laps in a tangle of bodies and skin and not enough cloth.

Kankuro was wedged between Kidomaro and Kimimaro, Ukon curled up in his lap like a cat. The silver-haired man was finishing off his second bottle of rum – this club was realistic; it served drinks by the bottle – , and his little growls and giggles and the way he was stroking Kankuro's chest were slowly driving the puppeteer quite mad. In a good way.

Kankuro didn't really like Ukon's friends. He could talk to Sakon well enough, as long as he didn't get his boyfriend's twin started on his job – he worked at some massive mechanics company -- , and Kidomaro was cool enough, though Kankuro couldn't for the life of him understand his taste in women. The perfect example for the aforementioned 'taste' was currently straddling Kidomaro's lap, moaning as he did... stuff... underneath her beige miniskirt.

Tayuya, Kidomaro's... Kankuro didn't really know what... was possibly _the_ most unpleasant woman Kankuro had ever met. Oh, sure, she was fun enough to drink with. And yeah, she was pretty. But if she opened her mouth...

Kankuro had never heard anyone swear so much. And while she swore, she _whined_. And if she wasn't whining – usually about her husband, who, one should note, was most certainly _not _Kidomaro, but actually a dude who worked at the same firm that Sakon did and almost never joined these gatherings – then she was insulting everyone – in her vicinity, her life, her future...

No, Kankuro didn't like Tayuya at all. He hissed, startled, as Ukon's tongue carved a blazing trail along his jawbone. Ukon gave him a grin that dripped sex, and Kankuro decided that it was time to check out how roomy the bathroom stalls in this club were. He managed to convey that decision to his lover with a lot of shouting over the music and gesticulation, and was rewarded with a rock of Ukon's hips.

Now, to the bathroom... That was easier said than done. Kankuro nudged Kimimaro, who looked at him uncomprehendingly for a while before finally moving out of the way. The tall, white-haired man was by far Kankuro's least favorite person in the group. He barely ever spoke, and if he did then it was about excavating. Excavating dinosaur bones. Yay. Besides, his make up was weird. (AN: Look who's talking!) Who wore two red dots over their eyebrows nowadays? Please! That was so... retro.

So, having made their way out of the alcove, Kankuro and Ukon wove their way through the shifting, grinding, sweating crowd. Somewhere near the other side of the mass of people, Ukon seemed to decide that he wanted to make Kankuro even hornier, and indulged in a lick-fest that had Kankuro mowing people out of their way like grass.

By the time they reached the bathroom – and yeah, the club owners had done well, there was enough space in the stalls – Kankuro was pretty far gone. He maneuvered Ukon – purring and twisting his way up Kankuro's torso – into a stall and slammed him up against one of the plastic walls. Ukon laughed his grating laugh, proving once more that he had a huge tolerance for alcohol as he murmured, "Feisty..." with not even a hint of slurring.

Kankuro shut him up with a kiss, forcing their tongues together and apart and together again in a violent, panting hurry. One of Ukon's hands was in Kankuro's hair, tangling and twisting hard enough to hurt, his other was at his zipper. Kankuro had gotten those annoyingly complicated red pants open, grinding against flesh – as if Ukon _ever _bothered with underwear – and muttering complete, vodka-induced nonsense against purring green-painted lips.

They both groaned hoarsely as Ukon _finally _got Kankuro's boxers out of the way. Ukon impatiently tugged his own pants down around his thighs, hooking one leg around Kankuro's hip and pushing up against him. Kankuro snarled breathlessly into the crook of his lover's neck, kissing pale, sweaty skin. Ukon arched against him again, his voice breaking as he ordered Kankuro to get on with it.

Kankuro obliged readily, fumbling a condom out of his pocket. Over his cock, lube --

Ukon's nails dug into his flesh through his T-shirt as Kankuro began pressing into him. "Hurry up!"

Kankuro managed a husky chuckle, thrusting --

"Ah--" "Oh God--"

_This _was what made the threat of sex deprivation the most effective way for Ukon to get what he wanted. He was so fucking--

Ukon let out a breathless noise, something between a gasp and a snarl and a whimper, his other leg wrapping around Kankuro's waist. The movement shifted their bodies, the tight, silky muscles caressing Kankuro's shaft. He groaned and thrust again, harder. And again --

He loved this. It was so perfect, sweat and snarls and the beat of the music reverberating through their bodies. He lost himself in the sensations, Ukon's nails digging into his shoulder blades, their wet skin sliding, the beautiful heat and pressure and friction around his cock.

Ukon was making little snarling noises, grunting softly with each pound of their hips. Kankuro could hear himself, muttering and groaning into his lover's ear as he sucked on the piercings that ringed it.

The heat building in his groin was so close to exploding – he rocked faster, rhythm forgotten, Ukon's cries rising --

Ukon dragged one of Kankuro's hands to his cock, and they stroked it together, Ukon arching taut against him and suddenly tensing, his whole slim body rigid with bliss --

Kankuro muffled a scream in his lover's hot mouth as the hot, slippery pressure tightened around him, his universe contracting to that one point, that one feeling of utter ecstasy, thrusting for more of it as he strained to capture the whole feeling – _more,_ _more, MORE!_

His release crashed over him, a deep, hoarse groan torn from his throat. He panted, leaning his forehead against Ukon's. His lover offered him a lazy, sated grin, lipstick smudged and skin glistening with perspiration. His piercings gleamed in the overhead light. Their heavy breathing mingled, loud in the muted silence, the bass far away and trembling.

Kankuro shifted, leaving his lover's body with a soft murmur of some nonsense concerning love. Ukon grunted in discomfort at the movement, muttering something equally inane. They cleaned themselves off in silence, the music pounding through them. The condom ended up in the wastebasket on top of the evidence of a hundred other bathroom encounters, their clothes fixed with laughter about wrinkles and stains.

Still basking in the sweat and the lingering feeling of satisfaction, they made their way back onto the dance floor. Kankuro moved towards the alcove, but Ukon pulled him back, his hands locking behind his lover's neck as he yelled into his ear, "You're dancing! We have to celebrate the loss of your job!"

Kankuro made an exasperated sound, but complied nonetheless. He let Ukon wind himself around him, and began moving with the thundering bass, the surreal quality of the darkness around them, the bodies rubbing up against him, everything so wildly different, inverted – Ukon's skin against his, it was like being blind, seeing by feeling.

He let himself go, then. He'd just had awesome sex in a bathroom, music was pounding around him, his lover was purring against him, he would be fired the next morning --

What else could he ask for?

°

Temari returned, chest heaving under the mesh she was wearing, to the alcove. Jiroubo scooted aside to let her through, and she settled into the wall, soft velvet bouncy beneath her and chunks of concrete digging into her back. The bass vibrated through her.

Leaning forward, she examined the drinks on the table in the half-light, wincing a bit at the soreness between her legs. Tch. He'd been rough in a good way, and the dancing had been fun, but her muscles were going to regret it in the morning – or, later, anyway, because it was already morning.

There were empty bottles of rum, vodka, one of red wine, the light from a virt playing over the glass. She leaned back, sighing. Damn. She'd have to go up to the bar --

Cool glass brushed her hand, and she looked up, startled. Jiroubo looked as solemn as he always, gloom etched into his chubby features. The bottle of gin brushed her hand again, and she smiled in gratitude, raising it to her mouth and swallowing the bitter, vicious liquid.

Tayuya and Kidomaro were a writhing, unclear mass of flesh across from her, and Kimimaro had disappeared onto the dance floor at around the same time Temari had gone there. He was still gone, so she presumed that he was either still out there or indulging in a quick fuck in the bathrooms.

Sakon was gone, she didn't know where. Ukon and her brother had disappeared as well, probably to have sex. God. They were like rabbits.

She drank another gulp of gin before returning the bottle to Jiroubo. She should get going, she decided. Bus would probably be the best, though she rarely took public transportation. Ukon and Kankuro would still be a while, though, and her car was at the mechanics' – the only reason why she'd wanted Kankuro to pick her up in the first place. She'd been wanting to check this club out for a while, and had taken the opportunity when presented.

She disliked Ukon – he was pretty vicious, and she'd walked in on him and Kankuro in compromising situations too often to truly be comfortable around him – and also Kidomaro – there was something slimy about him, she didn't know what – , though she could stand the others. Tayuya was very beautiful, and could be smart when she felt like it, though she rarely did. Temari really didn't know what to make of the whole thing with her being married and fucking around with Kidomaro day and night, though.

Temari peered into the gloom. Sure enough, Tayuya's golden skin rippled under the light of the newest virt, under a sheer layer of beige silk and Kidomaro's ruddy, muscular arm. The woman was always dressed tastefully; her husband had money. But then, he had to. He worked at the same firm as Sakon, and the company was known for wealth.

Tayuya's pink hair gleamed as she threw back her head – laughing, maybe, or moaning. Jiroubo shifted next to Temari, and she decided that she really should start moving. Her body was still slow and sated from her little appointment in the bathroom, and she had to force her muscles to move. She stood and leaned down to shout into Jiroubo's ear, "I'm leaving. Could you please tell my brother that I'm gone when he comes back?"

The massive man nodded, his spiky orange hair lighting up in a sudden flash of green strobe light. Temari smiled her thanks and wriggled out of the alcove. She glanced down at herself, sighing inwardly. It was going to be a stone bitch to go home on the bus like this, especially because her jacket only went to her waist.

Temari really liked this outfit; it was her newest clubbing wear, and it had been nice and cheap. After all there was only so much money you could demand for a mesh minidress. The amount of fabric simply wasn't enough to warrant a full price. Temari had at least put on a strip of leather – it was classified as a skirt, but Kankuro called it a belt – underneath the lower half of the dress. But putting on a bra had seemed like a waste, so she hadn't. Her usual clubbing boots – purple, shiny leather – had completed the outfit.

She headed towards the bathroom, needing to piss badly – what had been in that gin? She hadn't needed to go to the bathroom before. The bathrooms in the club were roomy, also plain concrete with rickety pipes crisscrossing the ceiling. They were simple, white tiles and plastic-walled stalls, three sinks.

Temari did what she had to do – God she was sore! He had been rough as hell! -- and went to the sinks to wash her hands. Next to her, an incredibly delicate and tiny woman – more like girl – was touching up her make-up, her long black hair ruffled from recent... activities. The two women's eyes met in the mirror, and both of them offered a smile – they were veterans of the scene. The bass rumbled around them.

A sudden whirlwind of beige and pink startled both of them from their individual preoccupations. Tayuya hurried past Temari to the last sink, casting the blonde a large, toothy grin. "Hey, bitch! What's up?"

The black-haired girl slipped away, finished with her foundation and eyeshadow. Temari grinned back at the pink-haired woman. "Not much. I'm getting ready to leave."

Tayuya splashed water on her face and extracted a tiny make-up kit from under her skirt – it had been wedged into the elastic band of her fishnets – before saying, loud and abrasive as always, "Ah. Too bad, it was a helluva fun night. Did you get a good fuck or two?"

Temari winced. She was always so direct... well, Temari was direct, too, but she liked to think of herself as subtly so. She didn't know how that worked out, but it did. "Yeah. You did too, I'm sure. Kidomaro always has you pretty busy."

Tayuya laughed. "He fucking does! A great fuck – Hey, did I tell you the new shit yet?"

"No..." Oops, she was getting started on her worries – Temari had wanted to get home soon...

"My husband, the piece of shit, is fucking around behind my back! He's coming home hell late these days... Fucker."

Temari nodded, muttering something vaguely sympathetic, though she couldn't really relate. After all, Tayuya _was _constantly having her fun with Kidomaro.

Tayuya flashed her another grin. "Well, I can't let him have all the fucking fun, right? I'm going out again to get my share of the fucking! From Kidomaro! See ya, bitch!"

And she was gone. Temari shook her head, bewildered. Wow, Tayuya usually took ages to finish gossiping. Maybe she'd been... eager... to get back to Kidomaro. Temari shuddered at the mental image. Ugh.

She left the club, collecting her coat at the cloakroom and stepping out into the cold early morning air. It was pitch-black out, stars peeking through the cold-clear sky. She shivered a bit and wondered why she hadn't worn tights.

The club was in the back of Suit Square, and she had to go around the whole block to reach the right bus stop. It was two-thirty; just about the right time for a bus. The concrete park was quiet behind her, soft mutters sounding from the shadows – hobos. The hut at the bus station was empty but for another hobo, curled up on the seats with a bottle in his arms.

Temari sighed, watching her breath float as a white cloud. She was pleasantly tired, feeling as though she was looking through a veil of wool at her surroundings. There was a dull ache between her legs, and her fingers were cold against her palms. Her feet hurt, too; dancing and walking on four-inch heels.

The bus came with a screech of cold-stiffened brakes, and thankfully it was the right line. She stepped in, ignoring the wolf whistles of a few teenagers in the back. Whoa, was she out of _their_ league. Her bus pass was valid, thankfully, and she sat down with a wince.

The bus crawled along the streets, empty but for a few lone teens or couples – hobos, too. The cars were less now, no huge lines of traffic clogging all the lanes.

Temari leaned her head against the plastiglas of the window, closing her eyes. Hmm, she would have to finish the 2010 simulation for her boss tomorrow – why did he need that, anyway? It was a fifty-year-old weather pattern, completely outdated... Her wind current experiment was coming along nicely, supporting her theory thus far. Hopefully nothing would change in the course of the next few weeks...

Her eyes snapped open against her will when the cool announcement came, "Hoor Street". The teens in the back burst into raucous laughter, and flashing lights and engine growls were everywhere. Temari raised her head, glanced out. Her eyes skipped over scantily clad men and women – whips and chains and leather -- , girls wearing frothy lace, men dressed as women... A lurid pink sign burned itself into her brain, shockingly bright.

Temari knew the basic mechanics of Whore Street – she did live in the area, after all. She knew that the underage whores sheltered at the sex shop. She scanned the curb, looking --

Oh yes, it was him all right. Bouncy and bright and hyper and grinning his head off.

Naruto.

Her eyes stayed on him until the bus was too far away. Then she slowly shook her head, a sad smile on her lips. Tch. A whore, huh? Poor kid.

Well, as long as he didn't get himself killed...

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Well, how did you guys like that?

I'm trying, I'm trying. Hoping for more SasuKabu next chap... sorry, but GaaNaru must wait a bit. I think. I'm not sure, though. We'll have to wait and see and all.

By the way, I now have 350 reviews for Whore Street! YAY!

AND I MANAGED 100 REVIEWS ON HERE! EVEN MORE YAY!

THANK YOU ALL!

Now, please augment that...


	16. Chapter 16

Hello everyone... Here we go, I'm starting this on Sunday. Hopefully I'll finish it, too.

I am vaguely planning on KabuSasu. We'll see.

Randomness: Within Temptation... What a surprise.

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Suit Square

It was twelve, the sky gray as always and cold seeping through everything. There was an icy wind cutting through everything, moaning eerily over concrete and wood. Naruto had made concessions to the temperature, pulling an orange, threadbare sweatshirt over his normal outfit the night before.

He was making his way to the Konoha, the night workers stirring and starting their day around him. The S&M crowd was huddled into the most protected corner of the bus stop, blankets and cushions wadded up around them. The Lolitas were hidden behind a screen of frothy fabric and slowly waking up, a few already standing out on the sidewalk in thick sweaters and sweatpants, brushing their teeth.

Naruto stopped at the Ichiraku to get himself breakfast, grinning hello at the few transvestites that were awake in the mass of bright clothing and blankets beside the shop. The man behind the counter sent him on his way with a smile and a steaming plastic bowl of noodles and soup.

The blonde continued down the sidewalk, skirting dusty stairwells leading to the entrances of the apartment buildings. He balanced the bowl in one hand and held his chopsticks in the other, slurping up noodles with relish. His back ached with each step, and his cold-stiff jeans chafed against scabbed-over cuts on his thighs and hips.

Naruto felt absolutely delicious.

Gaara's siblings hadn't reappeared since the outing the week before, and the redhead was acting as always, silent and cold. Naruto was fine with that; he was still relieved about the fact that the siblings' visit hadn't caused any major changes. Though he wouldn't really mind repeating the meeting of before; it had been nice to see Gaara with his family, he supposed.

"Hey, Naruto!"

He looked up; Ino, her long, fair hair tumbling over her shoulders and past her hips, stood on the sidewalk wrapped in a fluffy pink blanket. The fabric was loosely thrown around her, and she didn't seem to be wearing much underneath. A toothbrush hung from one hand, and white foam smudged her chin. It was normal for most of the whores to brush their teeth out over the street, simply because they were to lazy to go to the Arcade in the morning.

Naruto grinned at the girl. "Morning!"

Ino wiped her mouth with a corner of her blanket, and gestured to the sky. "Fucked up, huh?"

Naruto nodded, mouth preoccupied with ramen. The girl stepped back under the awning, dropping her blanket with out any trace of self-consciousness; she wore only a pair of skimpy, lacy underpants. Shivering, she fished out some clothes from the mess of the girls' nest, where Tenten was still curled up.

The older girl's dark hair was loose and tangled over Sasuke's black cards, scattered around the mess of lace and fluff that made up their whole niche. She was half-covered by a polka-dotted quilt, an empty bottle – champagne, thirty minicel at the Arcade – loosely held in one hand.

Naruto made his way to Sasuke and his mattress, sitting down on the edge and finishing the bowl of ramen quickly. Setting the container aside, he slipped his sneakers off and pulled a corner of the blanket that Sasuke was sleeping under – stretched out fully, his brow wrinkled faintly and one hand curled into a fist – over his legs.

Ino had finished dressing, loose jeans and a thick white sweater. She settled down next to Tenten, fishing out her cellphone and starting a game.

Shino and Kiba were gone already, their corner empty. Shikamaru was awake and staring up at the awning. The door of the Konoha had an 'Open' sign; Kakashi was awake already. The shopkeeper made most of his money per Ultranet order anyway; he rarely got customers. Most of them came in the evening, before the rush hour of Whore Street but late enough for it to be dark. Most perverts – excluding Kakashi and his ilk, that is – didn't like being known for what they were.

Naruto snuggled under the blanket, resting his forehead against Sasuke's hip – the older kid was wearing his jeans and nothing else. It was beautifully warm in here, a cocoon that muffled the outside world, smelling of cigarettes and sleep.

Sasuke had continued being happy this whole week. It was almost two weeks now that the dark-haired teen had been friendly and more talkative. Well, actually... he wasn't more talkative. He just seemed more open. His answers were as monosyllabic as ever.

Naruto grinned in the warm, human-smelling darkness.

Sasuke seemed to be having fun somewhere outside of Whore Street!

°

The acrid smoke burned his lungs as he swallowed it, holding it in as long as he could before releasing it through his nostrils. The white plumes coiled up in the cold air, unsteadiness washing through him for a split second of high.

Sasuke was cold. Smoking, he'd learned back in school on one of the few days he'd deigned to go, slowed down the circulation and thus made the body more vulnerable to temperature. He supposed that was the reason why his fingers felt like they were falling off. The tips of them, at least; he was wearing black half-finger gloves of cheap plastiwool that kept off most of the cold. He'd also thrown a hooded sweatshirt over his normal dress, so he was in no danger of freezing to death.

The concrete of the bus stop frame dug into his shoulder through the fabric, suits, a few mothers with children, a group of teens, a hobo sharing the hut with him. The chipped, peeling sign at the curb said, 'City Plaza'. Suit Square.

Speaking of suits... Sasuke glanced across the sea of cars clogging the street, over at the towering skyscraper beyond it. A revolving symbol topped the tall masterpiece of glass and steel, a stylized 'M' hooked into an 'R'. Melchior Robotics. The glass of the building reflected the gray sky; it looked absolutely impenetrable, and it pissed Sasuke off to no end.

Kabuto was late.

He'd told Sasuke he'd be out of work by two, but it looked as if it was going to be somewhere closer to two-thirty. Sasuke snarled under his breath and took another long drag of his cigarette. A bus came, and the teens got on it, giggling like a bunch of demented chickens. The girls gave Sasuke looks dripping with sugar.

He glared at them. He'd take Kabuto over a group of horny sixteen-year-olds any day.

The voice snickered. Sasuke Ignored it. It had calmed down a bit in the week or so since he'd started fucking around with the suit, but it still liked to insinuate weird things that had to do with love and other bullshit.

The bus screeched away, the girls having shrank away from him after his scowl and hurried on. Behind Sasuke, the park of concrete blocks and statues was deserted. It was too cold for strolls among fake gray art.

He turned his gaze back to Melchior Robotics.

The week had been fun, he wasn't about to lie to himself. They'd met in the vids two more times, and then Kabuto had suggested meeting for food instead of stupid entertainment. Sasuke had agreed. Somehow they'd ended up deciding to meet close to Kabuto's job.

Sasuke had been pretty surprised to find out that the suit worked at MR. It was a prestigious company, and the little bit of information that Kabuto had told him about his work had been impossibly complicated. In retrospect, it kind of fit to the man, though.

This would be the third time they'd be meeting for food instead of a vid. And the suit was late, dammit.

Sasuke snarled again and finished his cig, dropping it and grinding it out beneath the steel-lined heel of one boot. He was getting even colder, and if Kabuto didn't turn up soon then he'd --

"Hey, Sasuke."

Tch. Speak of the devil. Something fluttered in Sasuke's chest, and he Ignored it as he did the voice's small exclamation of joy, turning to face the tall man.

Kabuto was dressed in his usual gray suit, glasses glinting gray against the sky and his long, pale hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. He had a black coat slung over his shoulder and a sheaf of papers in one hand. "Had pressing business to take care of." He offered as an apology.

Sasuke extracted another cigarette from his sweatshirt pocket and lit it, enjoying the way the man's eyes slid appreciatively over his body. "Whatever."

Kabuto nodded, a smile tugging at his thin lips. "What do you want to eat?"

Sasuke shrugged, inhaling and replying with the next cloud of smoke. "Don't care... you're the gourmet."

The suit laughed softly. "Really? Well... how about Mexican?"

Sasuke shrugged again, and followed Kabuto across the street and into the bowels of the MR building – the garage was probably plain compared to the rest of the place, but Sasuke had never seen a garage decorated with real stone before, so it was good enough for him. They got into Kabuto's sleek car, Sasuke already used to the feeling of the soft upholstery against his body – both clothed and unclothed.

The car growled its way out into the west City, the restaurant district. The gray and the traffic passed in a blur, the heat cranked up inside the vehicle. They were silent, their eyes flitting to each other at intervals, meeting occasionally and prompting slight smiles(Kabuto) or faint scowls(Sasuke).

The car stopped somewhere in a parking lot at the center of the restaurant district. They got out of the car and Sasuke followed the suit again, to a small homey-looking restaurant decorated in reds and oranges. The door opened to a blast of warm, spicy-smelling air, comforting after the cold of the outside.

Sasuke sat down when Kabuto did, leaning back and lighting a cig. The suit watched him with a grin. The waiter came and gave them red and orange menus.

The voice sighed something.

Sasuke met the suit's gaze.

It was all for fun, after all.

_Oh, you idiot._

°

"Fuck, it's cold." Sasuke muttered, glaring out the window of the car. They were driving towards the edge of the City, in the direction of a certain gravel road among ragged bushes and trees.

"It is. Do you want to go somewhere instead of staying in the car?"

Sasuke started despite himself, staring at the suit in bewilderment. Somewhere else?

Kabuto glanced at him before turning back to the street. "What? My wife isn't at home, and the children are with a babysitter."(1)

"O-oh. Um." FUCK! What was wrong with him? Why was he stuttering?

"So... do you want to?"

The voice took over. "Yeah, sure."

Sasuke was going to kill the voice. It had made him sound eager! It deserved a long, painful death...

Kabuto grinned. "Okay." The car turned left. He'd sounded amused.

Sasuke was going to get back his reputation as a skeptical ice prince, dammit! "Why's your wife gone?"

Kabuto's grin turned cold. "She got completely drunk last night and is still over at her lover's house. He likes keeping her busy."

"Hn." Oh, so Kabuto wasn't the only one having extramarital fun in that household.

They were quiet again, and Sasuke could feel nervousness rising up. Agh... no. It wasn't nervousness, dammit. He didn't get nervous because of Kabuto.

Even if Kabuto was driving him to his house to fuck him there... at his house... at _his house_.

Oh God.

They reached the northwestern edge of the City; the top suburbs. Sasuke curled his lip slightly. He hated suburbs in general. They were breeding places for twistedness. Sasuke should know; he had, after all, grown up... No, he wasn't going there. Not now.

Kabuto turned to him for a moment, smiling his rueful half-smile. "Yeah, I know. Suburbs. Don't ask."

Sasuke just gave him a scowl saying 'As if I care...', but of course the man knew better and just huffed a small laugh.

Argh!

The car parked in the driveway of a house that looked like every one of its neighbors, white and chunky and ugly. Sasuke's eyes slid over the open garage – children's toys spilled out of it, bright and plastic -- , the plants on the doorstep, the window decorations in the second story. His heart tightened a little. It was very different from a road out in the middle of nowhere.

A knock on his window startled him out of his thoughts. Kabuto beckoned him to get out, laughter tugging at his lips. Sasuke snarled softly and obliged, slamming the door behind himself. The stairs to the door were swept bare and clean, the plants on the landing dry and dying – Kabuto grimaced a bit --, the door slid open smoothly.

And then they were inside, the house smelling of life and warmth. Sasuke undid the laces of his boots, taking in the gleaming tatami and the polished furniture, the small details – squiggly, awkward children's drawings on the dresser, a toy lying forgotten on the floor, a half-empty pack of gum.

He straightened from taking off his shoes, and tentatively stepped up onto the tatami of the corridor. It felt...

_Good,_ the voice supplied, and Sasuke had to agree.

Kabuto was there suddenly, his arms sliding around Sasuke. The teen muttered something about the discomfort of sex on tatami, and the suit laughed. Then they were kissing, hard.

To their credit, they made it halfway up the stairs.

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Heh. Did you like it?

(1)-- In case anyone is confused, the children are with a babysitter _because _Tayuya is out.

Please review!


	17. Chapter 17

Hi... lalala. God, I am currently SO obsessed with KabuSasu... GaaNaru will return, no worries! And the sibs will, too!

Randomness: Heh. Within Temptation...I know, I know.

Ok, and a **NOTE: **A reviewer (hey, AD! Sorry, I'm really busy...) pointed out there were some inconsistencies between WS and SS considering the chars' ages. There aren't. Naruto was fourteen in there, and Gaara was twenty-three(I'm pretty sure, if I'm wrong then I'm sorry, but I'm sure about Naruto), the same age as Kiba. One of the last chaps of WS had Gaara's b-day, which makes him 24 now. Naruto's age was clearly stated once in Whore Street; he was fourteen and still is(B-day's coming up!). Sasuke is one year older. If there are any true discrepancies, then please point the chapter and the context out to me(in WS) and I'll gladly change it. I am, however, pretty sure that this counts...GAH! Now you've got me all confused—I'm going to go check, dammit. ------------ Oh damn you. You're right after all, about Gaara's age at least. Ok, ok, I am going to go change that chap in WS. So, for ultimate clarification:

Gaara – 24

Naruto – 14

Gah. Now on with the story... Sorry about that if I confused you all.

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Suit Square

He officially Hated Kabuto's alarm clock.

It blinked at him, gleefully counting down the time. It went too fast, dammit!

Sasuke levered himself up onto his elbows, scanning the floor – there was carpet upstairs for some reason – for his sweatshirt. Locating it among the mess of discarded clothes, he leaned over to pick it up and fish out his pack of cigarettes and his lighter.

Kabuto's arm tightened around his waist as he lost his balance for a second before collapsing back into the soft bed – everything was western up here, the bed even had a real wooden frame and all. He lit up and dropped the pack on the floor again.

They'd fucked once on the stairs, once on the second floor landing, and once on the bed. It was four-thirty, and Sasuke hated that.

Kabuto was still halfway lying on top of him, legs still between Sasuke's thighs. One of his hands gripped Sasuke's hip, and the other was... somewhere, Sasuke didn't know and didn't really care. They were sweat and seed-sticky, quiet and sated.

The bedroom was large and roomy, the bed dominating it easily. A dresser stood against the far wall, the ceiling slanting sharply under the roof. One wall was an expanse of glass, sliding open to a balcony of whitewashed cement. On Sasuke's side of the bed, the bedside table held a pink bottle of perfume and a romance novel.

Sasuke raised his arm, watching the tip of his cig glow against the white, sloping ceiling.

The voice was quiet.

He flicked ash off of his cigarette and took one last drag before putting it out by pressing the burning tip against the pink bottle of perfume. It made him feel good.

Kabuto chuckled softly. That also made him feel good.

Sasuke dropped the no longer burning cig and tilted his head to nibble at a pale earlobe. Kabuto hissed, and Sasuke spread his legs a bit farther, urging. The man chuckled again, huskier this time, and Sasuke felt hardness against his thigh.

They shifted, Kabuto lowering his head to Sasuke's chest, tongue sliding around one nipple as his hand – the one Sasuke hadn't been able to locate earlier – reached for the other. Sasuke arched and whimpered softly. Their erections ground against each other at the movement, and they both gasped.

Sasuke snarled. "Just... fuck me."

Kabuto raised his head and smiled his amused smile, kissing the teen as his hands spread pale thighs and his hips moved forward, up --

They groaned breathlessly, Sasuke wincing slightly. His voice was ragged, pleading. "Hurry up --"

The man's smile, lost somewhere along the way to utter bliss, resurfaced. He gripped one of Sasuke's legs, spreading them further, and thrust.

And thrust again.

Again.

Again.

_Again._

_AGAIN..._

Sasuke turned his head aside, focusing on the pallid light outside the wall of windows. He was gasping, panting, even sobbing – his hands tangled in silver hair, hips bucking to meet each thrust.

The suit was panting into his ear, hard and slick as he slid in and out of him, hitting _that _spot each time, his hands still holding Sasuke's legs wide apart.

They moved instinctively, pleasure flaring up and throughout their bodies against the sheets. Sweat slicked their skin and their breathing grew increasingly ragged, Sasuke arching higher to get more of the friction between them, more heat and pleasure and wet --

Kabuto was groaning softly by now, his thrusts growing rougher and deeper, Sasuke gasping encouragement as pleasure pooled in the small of his back and heated up, hotter and hotter until --

Kabuto let out a strangled curse as the hot, wet bliss clenched around him, Sasuke choking out his name in a helpless whimper as warmth splattered over their bellies. The man slammed into perfect silky tightness once more, snarling in release and collapsing over the teen, trembling and panting heavily.

Sasuke groaned softly as the thick, flaccid cock slid out of him, his muscles twinging faintly. Kabuto's hands released his thighs, and he let his legs relax, sprawled around pale hips.

The clock on Kabuto's bedside table said five o'clock, and Sasuke could smell perfume on the sheets.

He needed to go.

"Where is the nearest bus stop?"

Kabuto sat up slowly and stood from the bed, moving to the closet and opening the door. Sasuke could see bright dresses next to business-worthy shirts. His stomach clenched a bit. He let his eyes travel over the pale finely muscled back, until Kabuto slipped on a pair of jeans – they looked incongruous on him. Sasuke hadn't seen him in anything other than a suit before. A shirt quickly followed, a blue T-shirt.

The man returned to the bed. "I'll drive you."

Sasuke nodded, his stomach twisting again and something hurting in his chest. He stood and quickly dressed. The Arcade would be his first stop...

Kabuto gestured around the room, an abbreviated wave. "We'll do this again."

Sasuke's lips twisted into a wry grin. Kabuto was realistic. It hadn't been a question.

It had been a statement of fact.

°

When Naruto stepped into the apartment, the corridor dark and warm compared to the stairwell, the light was on in the living room.

He stood frozen for a moment before throwing his sneakers off and half-running to the doorway.

Gaara was on the couch, wearing jeans and nothing else. His glass was in his hand. His shirt lay on the floor, and his black sweater next to it. Naruto swallowed hard.

He knew the shirt well; it was one that Gaara wore often, a washed-out garment that had once been black and was now gray.

The last time he'd seen it had been this morning.

It had been gray then.

It had _not _been soaked in stiff, dried and dark...

Blood.

The sweater was darkened too in places, splotched with deeper black.

Naruto stood in the doorway, not knowing what to do.

Gaara's flat aquamarine eyes slid around, fixing on him and pinning him into place. Naruto bit his lip.

The redhead stood in one fluid motion, and Naruto could see more stains on the jeans. The thin lips twisted into the almost-grin, and a soft snarl sounded. It was bitter, and amused.

Gaara reached him, and slid a hand behind his neck. "Frightened?" the cold voice asked.

Naruto shivered, and felt suddenly as if he was safe. "Who wouldn't be?" He loved Gaara, didn't he? He wouldn't freak out. He _knew _the dude had problems... "What did you do?"

Gaara's eyes widened briefly, then his lips twitched again. "Forcer."

Naruto cocked his head. He was speaking... He had just killed someone... which one was more important?

Naruto didn't even need a millisecond to decide. More talk! Now! "Why?"

A chuckle, cold as the current weather. "You can be stupid."

Naruto glared. "Tch. Tell me!"

Almost-shrug. "They're still after me."

Oh, right... something with Iruka – hadn't Gaara been helping them with something? And, of course, he was the Sandman... probably not supposed to be free... why had the siblings been allowed to pick up his stuff from the CiJail then? Maybe if someone disappeared, their stuff was thrown out...?

Gaara snarled softly, to get his attention. "Stop thinking so much."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, grinning. "Why?"

Gaara proceeded to show him why very thoroughly, and the stains on his jeans as he took them off didn't deter the blonde in the slightest.

He supposed he'd become just as evil as his lover.

Oh well, shit happened.

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Ok, I think that was a weird chap... Gaara talked! Gaara killed! Finally, the thing with the case from WS was cleared up!

Sorry again about the age thing... °sigh°

Randomness: Billy Talent. This is my new downloaded illegal CD. It will dominate the randomness for a while.

Please review!


	18. Chapter 18

Ok...here we go. Chap 18.

Randomness:...Billy Talent.

What to write, what to write...

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Suit Square

The sky was a bluish-gray for a change, even a bit of weak sunlight peeking through. It wasn't really enough for warmth, but it sufficed. There was an icy breeze, though, piercing even the thickest sweaters.

The Konoha was pretty lively, Sasuke and Naruto on their mattress in a one-sided debate over ramen flavors, huddled underneath their blanket. Shikamaru was frowning at the awning, Shino and Kiba had returned from their daily round of begging and were engaging in a make-out session under their own quilt.

Tenten and Ino's nest had two visitors; Lee, bouncy and joyful, and cool and collected Neji. The two shared one of the girls' fluffy blankets, participating in the game of cards with frequent interruptions to allow for kissing and such. Tenten was hugging a bottle of red wine, and Ino had flitted over to Nom Street earlier for some sweets. The package of brightly colored sugary snacks lay between the four now.

The shop was open, and Kakashi had made an appearance and hour or so ago, sitting on the steps for a bit before going back inside to escape the cold. The signs blinked irritatingly.

Lee snuggled into Neji's chest, grinning sparkily. "Neji, I'm going to win!"

His boyfriend smiled slightly. "Oh really? You shouldn't get overconfident."

Tenten laughed. "Yeah, Lee. I think I've got the win right here."

Lee just grinned wider, "Ah, but you haven't seen my cards, so you cannot know how ultimately win-guaranteeing they are!"

Tenten raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, but you haven't seen mine either."

Lee started to say something, but Neji nudged him. "Come on, Lee. It's your turn."

The dark-haired teen turned to his cards, wrinkling his brow. Ino poked Tenten for the bottle, took a swig, and asked, "So are we still going shopping tomorrow?"

Tenten nodded. "Yeah. I need new tights."

The fair-haired girl nodded. "Yeah, with the weather being such a bitch..."

Lee finished his turn after much contemplation, and they returned their attention to the cards.

°

Sasuke tilted his head to stare at Kabuto's hand as it followed the line of soft hair from his groin up his abdomen. The man smiled slightly, noting the scrutiny.

It had been two days since the visit to Kabuto's place, and they were back out on the gravel road.

The silver-haired man leaned close. "Have you got time on Saturday?"

"I always have time."

"At night, I mean."

"Why?"

"Tayuya – my wife – is spending Valentine's Day at her lover's. Including the night."

Valentine's Day? Hadn't Sasuke been vehemently denying any plans for suits and him on that day? Hadn't he?

Dammit.

He went with the voice. "I can take the night off."

Kabuto grinned. "Good."

Sasuke shifted underneath the man, hooking his arms around his neck. "Is your wife nice?"

WHAT! HE HAD NOT JUST ASKED THAT...

"No."

Okay, maybe he had...

"She swears a lot."

"Hn."

"No, she's not nice."

Sasuke nodded. "Good." AAARGH! God, this had to be that voice. He was going to _torture _it into a coma, dammit. It would DIE.

Kabuto laughed softly. "Maybe."

Sasuke nodded again.

°

Gaara leaned against the doorway of the kitchen. It was close to ten, the kitchen window open to the cold wind. Naruto was wearing one of the redhead's shirts and making the simplest breakfast dish he knew how to make; pancakes.

He looked up from the batter into cold teal. "What?"

The redhead half-shrugged and moved towards him, biting into his earlobe. Naruto gasped a little and nearly dropped the mixer into the batter. "Shit! Don't scare me like that!"

Gaara moved his teeth to Naruto's neck, biting and drawing blood. Naruto arched backwards, moaning softly. Gaara's hands descended onto his hips, holding him steady.

Suddenly, Gaara's mouth was gone. Naruto mewled softly. "Gaara!"

The redhead snarled in amusement. "On Saturday."

"Y-yeah?" Naruto was still pretty excited. And now Gaara was even talking!

"Kankuro and Temari want to meet us."

Naruto nodded. "Okay. Cool."

Gaara nodded slightly and left the kitchen.

Naruto almost pouted after him, then thought better of it and returned to pancake making.

Did this count as a date?

Saturday...

Valentine's Day!

Hell yes this was counting as a date!

°

Temari glared at herself in the mirror. She liked the miniskirt, she really did... but the weather...

Tch. "Tights..." she muttered.

"They have cheap ones just now." A melodic voice – accented with a strange, foreign lilt – said to her right.

A girl stood next to her in the mirror, black hair pulled back tight into two buns and slender body sheathed in a tight silvery-blue dress. The price tag hung from the hem.

Temari cocked her head. "Really? Are they warm?"

The girl laughed. "Yeah. And believe me, you should be getting that skirt."

The blonde's eyes widened, then narrowed and flashed with amusement. "So that you can get me out of it?"

The girl shrugged and put a hand on her left hip, pushing her pelvis forward. "If you let me."

Temari grinned slowly. "Hm... I'm a busy person."

"I'm sure we can work something out."

The blonde laughed. "I think so too. Saturday, if you don't mind having other people there...?"

"Sure."

Temari watched the pale, slender legs shift as the girl scribbled down a number. Well, this would be fun... Kankuro and Ukon, Gaara and Naruto, and Temari would have a date too...

Fun, fun.

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Um, yeah... strange and short.

Oh well.

Next one is (hopefully) Valentine's Day!

Please review!


	19. Chapter 19

Hey! I have a really cool school schedule now, because I am now in eleventh grade... Yay! On Tuesdays my first class is at 11:30, so... until 10:15 I can write my little heart out at home... So, that is when I am starting this chap.

The Valentine's Day chaps will probably start simultaneously, too; so GaaNaru and the others will be parallel to KabuSasu. I know you guys can do it.

Randomness: Billy Talent. Yay.

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Suit Square

The morning had been dominated by towering, dark thunderheads, and they'd opened up with a roar and lots and lots of water sometime in the early afternoon. The traffics in the streets crept forward through a knee-high soup of warm water and unidentified trash, the lights of the cars swimming and blurring together through sheets of rain. The sky was a menacing dark grey, thunder crashing overhead on the heels of bright flashes of lightning.

What a Valentine's Day... Kabuto glared out at the cars around his own, wanting nothing more than to wring each of the drivers' necks. Well, actually, he wanted one thing more; to be on time for once.

Kabuto was always on time. However, since he'd taken to meeting a certain black-haired teen for inappropriate activities, he'd figured out that something or someone up there simply didn't want him to come punctually to their appointments. It was probably Tayuya's deity or something, gleefully wrecking Kabuto's plans by opening the sky up around him and creating _the _traffic jam of the century...

Argh... he couldn't escape Tayuya's malignant influence even here! Thank God she was already over at Kidomaro's place for sex and booze.

Kabuto worked full days (meaning eight hours) every day of the week except Monday. He was most productive in the early hours of the morning, and had set his workdays to that fact; he went in to work at six and left at two. Today had been the same, and he'd just gotten off. He'd taken one look at the weather and decided to get his car first before driving around to get Sasuke.

It was going as well as was to be expected; it looked like he'd get there within the next half-hour, at least. However, it was already two-fifteen, and one of the few things Kabuto knew for sure about Sasuke was that the kid wasn't exactly an angel of patience. So he glared at the cars around him and beseeched them to move. He was really looking forward to a day and night of Sasuke at his house.

_Really _looking forward to it.

He sighed inwardly in relief as the lines of cars began to move sluggishly.

When Sasuke had complained about the cold on the way out into the countryside, at their last meeting, Kabuto hadn't really thought before saying that they could go to his place. He'd just... blurted it out, and then gone along with it. And it had been great – the sex, sure, but also the realization that _Sasuke _was at his house, and watching him move there, his elegant grace appearing in his bedroom, his kitchen, his living room.

That evening, though, when his children had returned from their babysitter and Tayuya had stormed in with a huge hangover and stinking of stale alcohol and sex, he'd been shocked back to reality. Because his children were back, and they were playing where he'd kissed Sasuke, laughing at him where he'd teased the kid, play-wrestling where he'd slid into silky tight heat. And Tayuya had been muttering under her breath where he'd felt white skin under his fingers, her presence so violently _there_ and her voice rising abrasively about a suspicious burn mark on her perfume bottle, and then she'd slept next to him where he wanted someone else, someone slimmer and smaller and darker and quieter. It had been painful, and the days since then had been painful as well; he'd brought his two lives together suddenly and without forewarning, and they weren't compatible in any way.

But Kabuto wanted to forget that now, for twenty-four hours he wanted to spend his time in the universe that he didn't enter often enough. And it would have to suffice, days and nights like this, because he just didn't have anything else to offer.

He chuckled softly, remembering Tayuya's tantrum about her perfume bottle. The look on her face! Kabuto wondered whether he should ask Sasuke to have his fun with her clothes... or her shoes! That would be priceless, and he didn't doubt that Sasuke would enjoy it.

The teen was less untouchable than he thought he was, and Kabuto had worked in a customer-service job for years. He knew how to read people pretty well. At least well enough to see that Sasuke had fun, as much fun as Kabuto did, while they were together.

He muttered thanks to whoever had been nice to him up there and gotten Tayuya's curse of his back. The cars were moving well now, and he could stop at the curb, shortly after the bus stop. He could see people huddled under the hut, and one person standing all the way out in the rain, wearing all black.

No one could ever accuse Sasuke of being a conformist.

Kabuto rolled down his window to call the kid, but he was already making his way towards the car. He got into the passenger seat with a cursory glance to make sure that he wouldn't be run over by the now speedy cars racing past. Then he muttered, "It seems to be physically impossible for you to make it on time."

Kabuto laughed. "The rain is my excuse."

"It's barely three hundred meters from the parking lot to here."

Kabuto didn't answer that, moving back into the street and heading out towards the northwest. The kid procured a silver package of cigarettes from his sweatshirt pocket, slipping one between pale lips and holding a black lighter under the tip, the flame flaring bright in the rain-darkened car. The lighter and pack disappeared again, and Sasuke leaned back in his seat, tendrils of acrid smoke – he seemed to be impervious to the terrible quality of his cigarettes – uncurling in front of him.

He was wearing his usual tight black jeans, scuffed and faded and tucked into the top of equally worn black leather boots. Metal gleamed on the shoes' soles as Sasuke shifted, and their laces were a bright, hectic red held back with steel gimlets. The slender kid's torso was pretty much swallowed by his black, thick and two sizes too large sweatshirt.

Sasuke wore half-gloves over his hands, his nails painted a chipped and broken black. His hair was even messier than usual, the rain had plastered it to his skull and the car's dry air had it standing up at odd spikes and whatnot. His eyes were half-lidded, the strange swirls that appeared sometimes in their inky depths turning, turning and turning on their faintly crimson axis. Kabuto hadn't asked about them.

He hadn't really asked about much.

Sasuke flicked ash into the car's ashtray. "Have we got all day?"

"Day and night. And a lot of the morning."

"Don't you have to work?"

"I can come in when I want." Though Sakon would have a shock-induced seizure when Kabuto came in at the same time he would.

"Hn."

"Music?"

Sasuke shrugged, a movement that seemed second nature to him. In a completely, unbelievably erotic way... Hell, everything about him was erotic.

The black eyes tuned to Kabuto, and he watched them with the bit of attention he could divert from the drowning street. The swirls inside the black glinted in the muddy rain-smudged light.

Sasuke twisted his cigarette out in the ashtray, snapping it closed. His lips twitched into a small smile. "That's a lot of time."

Kabuto's only answer was a slight nod.

The teen leaned over suddenly, and Kabuto nearly lost his hold on the steering wheel as a warm breath ghosted over his ear and neck. "Sasuke! I need to --"

"Heh."

°

Sasuke thrust deeper, needing more of wet, warm... His hands clenched in Kabuto's hair as the man swallowed around him, and he panted, "In me, " with his last shred of control.

Kabuto groaned softly around him – Sasuke whimpered and his hips jerked up – and released his cock. Sasuke whimpered again, despite himself, and spread his legs eagerly.

The man's eyes widened slightly, darkening further in lust. He supported himself on one arm above Sasuke's head, the other reaching for the teen's hip and raising him to meet --

A long, breathless moan escaped Sasuke's lips as the blunt tip of the suit's cock pressed against him, and his hands laced into each other behind a pale neck, silver hair trailing over his forehead and mingling with his own mussed locks.

Kabuto muttered something under his breath, the words dissolving into a hoarse groan as he pushed _in_, and Sasuke hissed in discomfort. The kid bit his lip as thick, hard flesh slid farther in, stretching him to and beyond his limits, and his pained gasps exploded into whimpers with the first complete, fiery stroke, blunt pressure against _that _spot, sparks flashing in his vision as Kabuto pulled back and thrust again, deeper and harder with shaky control.

It went much too fast, Sasuke too far gone from the earlier activity and climaxing after only a few thrusts, a breathy snarl and a stiffening throughout his body, Kabuto's hand fisting in the flesh of his hip as heat tightened around him and he came, muffling his cry in the white skin of a heaving neck.

They separated reluctantly. The rain was still pouring down outside, the window-wall of the bedroom open to a panorama of gray sheets of water and a thunderous sky, lightning flashing bright and shocking from time to time. Their clothes were scattered in a trail up the stairs, the last garment – Kabuto's boxers – lying forlornly in the doorway of the bedroom.

Sasuke lit a cigarette. Kabuto threaded his hand through black, rain-mussed hair.

"Do you have food?"

The man laughed softly. "Let's go see. I'm sure I have something. Somewhere."

Sasuke got up first, wincing the faintest bit. They _had _been going at it for a several hours straight by now. Sasuke wasn't used to having so much sex at one time with such a... large... person. He scratched his head in slight irritation. Clothing...

Kabuto startled him, sliding an arm around his waist. "What are you waiting for? The kitchen's downstairs."

Sasuke grimaced, barely. "Do you have a sweater for me?"

"Oh." The man moved to the closet, tossing Sasuke a soft green t-shirt. He slipped on a pair of jeans and stood at the doorway, waiting.

Sasuke just looked at the fabric in his hands for a couple of seconds, before noticing what he was doing and lifting his shoulders in a small shrug. The voice was going berserk inside his mind, babbling on happily about sharing and generosity.

Sasuke was a bit more pragmatic. He slid the garment over his shoulders, managing not to get a cigarette burn on it, and followed Kabuto downstairs. They sidestepped their clothing with equally amused glances at each other.

Sasuke liked the kitchen; it was roomy, and decorated in the same golden tone as the rest of the house. There was tile on the floor, instead of tatami, and it just seemed extremely... tasteful, or at least as tasteful as a suburban house could be.

Kabuto was peering into the overhead cabinets, his pale back glowing in the gloom of the storm's darkness. Sasuke watched him for a moment, before stepping over the cold tiles and leaning on the counter next to the suit. Kabuto reached into one of the cabinets and dropped a shiny plastic bag into Sasuke's hands. "Chips? And... ugh, rock candy. Ah, here. Cheese... somethings. And I have sponge cake."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, his arms full with crackling bags of snacks and a lone package of sweets. "I'm touched."

Kabuto shrugged. "Thank my maid."

"Whatever. Do you have any..."

"I'm sure Tayuya – my wife – has some. We just have to find her stash."

Sasuke grinned slowly. "Ah."

°

"Well, it's not upstairs. Have you found anything?" Kabuto asked from the doorway of the living room.

Sasuke shook his head.

The man laughed. "This is like a treasure hunt... " He made his way into the room, and looked around. He was still only in jeans. Sasuke stepped away from the bookcase he'd been skimming, and his eyes caught on the stereo in one of the room's corners. He moved towards it.

Kabuto was peering behind the couch, and a flash of glass pulled a soft sound of triumph from him. He pulled the couch forward, and said dryly, "My God, she really isn't very original..."

Music suddenly blasted out of the speakers placed all around the room, and shortly after Sasuke was standing next to Kabuto. "What music is this?"

Kabuto shrugged. "Old stuff, from the twentieth century. Steppenwolf."

Sasuke nodded. "It's nice." He leaned forward to get a better look at the array of gleaming bottles, packed neatly into a cardboard box. "Impressive."

The music pounded around them. The rain was beating against the windows. Thunder crashed. "It is. What do you want?"

"Beer is good. She has the most of that, anyway."

Kabuto murmured agreement and lifted a few bottles out of the box. "What happened to the snacks?"

"I'll go get them."

"I'll be in the bedroom."

"Hn."

°

"We should probably shower."

"Hn. I have a feeling we won't get very clean."

"You know what?"

Sasuke shifted. The tip of his cigarette glowed in the darkness, brightening as he inhaled. His body was a vague outline in the gloom, skin soft against Kabuto's. "What?"

"I was just thinking the exact same thing."

"Heh."

The clock on Kabuto's bedside table said 11:49. "Let's shower anyway."

"Whatever."

They moved slowly, sluggish in complete satisfaction. The way to the door was found with much cursing and bumping into unidentified objects that hadn't been there before. Finally they made it to the bathroom.

Kabuto reached for the light, but stopped. "I've got candles."

"If you could see me, I'd refuse that piece of romantic bullshit."

"Does it make you feel better that I can't?"

There was a silence. Kabuto could feel the kid next to him, breathing softly and calmly, cigarette forgotten in one hand, the red tip hovering in the darkness.

"Yes."

"Well, candles it is then."

A snort. "Whatever."

"Don't say that so often."

°

The water was warm around them. The bathroom was still half-dark, two candles providing enough light to keep them from killing each other by accident. The flames flickered over the walls. The rain was still drumming against the roof, and lightning still flashed at intervals.

Sasuke was leaning against him, slender back against his stomach. His voice was ragged, breathless. "I told you we wouldn't get clean."

The water was a cocoon around them. "I told you I had thought of that possibility."

"Tch."

Kabuto reached for the shampoo. "This time around, we can make it without getting... "

"... Side-tracked?"

"Sounds about right."

Shampoo, soap, and Kabuto was right. They were much too exhausted to continue. Rinse, water off --

"Are we hungry?"

"Using the royal 'We'? What got into you?"

"It's not the royal 'We'. It's the symbiotic 'We'."

Silence.

"I still can't see you very well, if it makes you feel better."

"Yeah. Symbiotic 'We'... you know what?"

"Hm?" They were drying themselves.

"You're strange."

"I don't think you're authorized to say that."

"Whatever."

"So, hungry?"

"Let's order pizza."

It was Kabuto's turn to be speechless.

"What? We have beer downstairs, courtesy of your wife. Beer and pizza make a very balanced meal."

"It's somewhere around one AM."

"All the better. Don't tell me you've never woken up a pizza place operator at one AM."

"Can't say that I have."

"Well, there's a first time for everything."

"Darkness makes you talkative _and _vicious."

"I'm always vicious. I do my best to hide it."

"Usually."

"Exactly. So, where's your phone?"

°

"I see what you mean." The pizza was gooey and greasy and absolutely delicious.

"Hm?" Sasuke was chewing. He had a cigarette in one hand and a beer held between slim ankles.

"The pizza place guy. It was pretty fun. Though I liked the one who brought it better."

Sasuke seemed to nod. Kabuto wasn't really sure. The living room now also sported candles. The stereo was still on; Edith Piaf.

The pizza boy had been amazingly entertaining. The look on his face as he delivered a pizza – that had taken the phone person a whole half-hour to get down right, what with Sasuke continuously contradicting himself(on purpose) and thinking up new insane combinations of ingredients – to a completely dark suburban house with two rather crazy males – half-dressed – at the door had been absolutely priceless.

Sasuke had finished chewing. His bottle gleamed as it moved; Kabuto heard him swallow. Then, "I like this one. Was one of my better ideas."

"I would never have come up with anchovies, Gorgonzola instead of the usual cheese, and... "

"Walnuts? Yeah, I like the walnuts-thing."

"What was one of your worse ideas?"

"Anchovies and pineapple. Lots of anchovies. And... oh, yeah, my sausage-tuna-bacon-curry-sweet and sour sauce-idea. That one tasted like puke."

"Hm." This time Kabuto was chewing. He liked this talkative, in-the-dark Sasuke.

He jumped slightly as a mouth latched onto his collarbone. He had barely registered the teen's movement. "We're all greasy, you know."

The lips left his skin. "So?"

Kabuto put his beer aside. "Nothing. Come back here."

°

There was a clock in the living room, as well. It flashed red. Kabuto blinked sleep from his eyes and stared at it. Three-fifteen. Thunder rolled outside. The music had changed again, a plaintive man's voice, somehow reptilian. Placebo, his mind supplied.

The candles had gone out.

He raised an arm, feeling around on the tatami. There was the greasy cardboard of the pizza box, there was the cool glass of a beer bottle, there the smooth packaging of Sasuke's cigarettes, his lighter.

Lightning flashed.

His other arm was wrapped around smooth shoulders. He could feel skin rising and falling beneath his wrist, pressing against the sensitive hollow where his blood pounded evenly and strongly, the two vibrations meeting and blending; slow breathing, faster, harder pulse. Soft stzrands of hair – his mind immediately showed him an image of night-black, gleaming spikes – brushed against his chest and the dip of his collarbone.

Sasuke was no longer asleep, had probably been awake much longer than Kabuto.

The man shifted slightly, feeling stickiness on his abdomen. There was a strange quality to some areas of his skin, as if the air wasn't reaching them; grease. He grimaced in the darkness. Strange how food became disgusting so easily.

Slim, long limbs slid against his. Sasuke was sitting up.

Kabuto experienced the otherworldly, uncertain sensation of knowing that there was someone or something close and moving, he guessed that the kid was leaning over him or something. There was a soft scuffing sound against the tatami, and the feeling disappeared, the shifting stopped.

Silence.

A sharp crackle, a flame springing to life and vanishing again. Sasuke's face illuminated for a brief second, the strange crimson symbols bright against the shine of the fire. The cigarette held loosely, easily between soft lips --

It was dark again. The smell of smoke reached Kabuto's nose.

He watched the cigarette tip in the blackness, glowing red.

°

They had been quiet for half an hour now, barely moving. Kabuto was calm beside him, a vague presence in the inky night – no, early morning, Sasuke corrected himself.

The music was beautiful, plaintive. Something about a clown and back alleys.

He was sore.

Thunder rolled outside, the heavy black sky filling the whole window. An orange glow intruded in on the clouds, outlining them – a streetlamp.

Smoke filled his lungs.

Greasy skin slid against skin at the most outlandish areas; his thighs felt slimy from oil and pizza and whatnot. He should shower, he mused, but didn't move. It felt good to sit here, next to Kabuto, in silence, and it felt good to know that the silence was all right.

Kabuto sat up next to him, startling him. It broke the stillness of the last half-hour.

Rain thrummed against the window suddenly. It was close to a sensory overload somehow, smoke burning the back of his throat, semen and grease sticky and slimy in the dips and hollows of his body, rain thrumming, a nasal voice sighing soft sad things from the speakers, the heavy darkness all around him, Kabuto's breathing, Kabuto's movement --

"My wife..."the voice trailed off.

Sasuke's earlier talkativeness was gone. It had been the product of post coital satisfaction, of feeling utterly complete and right. The voice had taken over...

Kabuto spoke again. Sasuke smoked. "My wife threw a fit over the burn on her perfume bottle."

He had to laugh a little, a soft chuckle or something. He could see it, though he didn't know her. He hated her.

He stiffened, surprised, as a hand slid over his chest and up, searching. Fingers ghosted over his neck, caressing his pulse, slid slowly up the line of his jaw. They paused under his eyes, and he closed them just in time, the pads of long digits settling on his lids, one finger on each eye. "What is that?" Kabuto asked.

Sasuke didn't know what he was talking about, for a moment. He was still lost in the strange, vulnerable feeling of the hand over his face, his nose in a palm, it took trust for humans to let others close to their eyes, irreplaceable and such complex works of nature -- "It's a family trait."

"Family?"

It was dark, and there was a hand not his own on his face, touching his lids lightly. The cigarette in his hand was burning steadily; he could feel the warmth of the ash coming closer to his skin, though he couldn't see it.

He spoke, he didn't know why. It wasn't the voice; it was him, through and through, silent and monosyllabic him. "Uchiha." Was that enough? He didn't know how these unveiling scenarios worked...

Kabuto's hand didn't move, he stayed inquisitive. He wanted to hear more.

"My parents... died." This was harder than he'd thought.

Kabuto's hand retreated from his face, and he had an insane urge to reach for it, to return it to its perch. The urge subsided as fingers played over his spine. Kabuto stayed silent, moving closer – Sasuke thought, he wasn't sure.

Did that mean more? Sasuke guessed so. The warmth of the burning tip of his cigarette was getting closer, his hand resting idly on the smooth tatami. He was supporting himself on the other. "Not really, actually they didn't die. They're still alive, but... my brother..." He hated his vocabulary! It wasn't responding, he was searching for the words but he couldn't find them, dammit...

Kabuto's hand stilled for a moment, then continued caressing his back, lazily. The man was so composed – Sasuke had always wanted to be like that. Like Itachi. Only Itachi had taken it too far -- "He..."

The words... language in general... so futile. You could describe things in so many ways, could dilute their meaning, could underline it, could scream it – but they were so futile. People couldn't enter your mind, could never truly understand what you meant. Words weren't enough.

With that revelation, the dam broke, and it flowed easily. Kabuto wouldn't understand, anyway; words were useless... why should he worry about putting it in the right terms? They were only a way of pouring images out, images whose full effect and horror only you yourself could appreciate.

The fire had reached his skin. It burned into his knuckles, the soft skin between the fingers.

"He was their favorite. Very insane. The doctors diagnosed him with SPD – schizoid personality disorder, he was always really cold, I thought it was really cool – and APD – antisocial personality disorder – after even they couldn't overlook his... weirdness."

Kabuto was close all of a sudden. Sasuke didn't mind; he liked it, kind of. The rain drummed on the windows.

There was a mounting pain in his hand. The cig smouldered into his skin.

"Well, yeah. He left. He didn't like the pills and all the therapy. He told my parents that he'd never cared about them, that they were completely unimportant to him – you know, that kind of stuff. Of course, he was extremely short about it, I think it was two sentences. And then he told me some more shit in the same vein, and he was – well, he was gone."

"And then my parents died. He was the favorite, you see. Straight-A student, all that bull. They went pretty crazy, looking for him. And once they were pretty sure he was dead in a ditch somewhere and no amount of chips could get him found, it was my turn."

His hand hurt.

"You know, my turn to have the straight-A's, the Ultranet degree from the Tech Uni at thirteen, my turn to be the soccer genius."

Yeah, the report cards – 'Oh, good, but you know, Itachi had...' -- the fights – 'Why did you do that? Itachi was never...' -- all that fucked up crap... 'Itachi, Itachi, Itachi...' Itachi was a _sociopath,_ for fuck's sake! And then Sasuke had...

His hand _hurt. _Gritting his teeth, he squeezed the cigarette out between his digits. The fire stopped burning deeper into his skin, and tears pricked somewhere behind his eyelids, an open sore blistered and leaking on his hand, it would look terrible.

But it was dark, and thus it didn't matter.

"After a few years, I left too. I wasn't that far away," he still wasn't, they lived in the closest suburbs, he'd seen his father's car a few times before he stopped driving through Whore – to avoid Sasuke? -- "and a search would have found me in a few hours. Minutes, even."

Kabuto's arm tightened around him – when had it gotten there? -- and Sasuke was surprised, because he understood. He got it. Somehow, the words had been enough. And he didn't need to continue; Kabuto understood, knew that his parents hadn't deigned to send a search out after him, hadn't felt the need to grease the right hands in the Force with cel-chips to get the gears rolling as they had with Itachi – _Itachi Itachi Itachi!_

He leaned back into the man. "Yeah. Family trait." That had started this off, right?

Kabuto nodded against him, his chin on his shoulder.

Silence.

Rain on the windows.

A weak roll of thunder.

His hand ached.

The clock read four AM.

"Let's go upstairs." Kabuto.

Kabuto, Kabuto, _Kabuto_.

°

They made love in the bed, it was nothing else, _making love_.

Slow and gentle, their climaxes velvety waves of pleasure, soft cries and a whisper of, "_Kabuto_."

Kabuto pulled the blanket over their entwined bodies.

The balcony door was half-open, cold air blowing in. The thunder was even farther away now, the rain pattering on the balcony's concrete.

His lips found Sasuke's left hand. There was a livid wound between the first two fingers, a mixture between blister and open burn, scabbing over and leaking blood.

He had been wondering what had happened to the cigarette from the living room.

It was dark, as usual... they had collected a few more bottles of beer. They stood on each bedside table.

Kabuto had thrown his clock down. The numbers had mocked him by counting down too quickly.

Sasuke was awake still. His other hand held a beer, Kabuto was pretty sure.

Kabuto felt good.

Sasuke trusted him. He had answered him.

It would be a lie to say that he felt sad for the kid. It would be misunderstanding him to think that he needed sympathy. Or pity, or anything like that.

Kabuto had asked, and Sasuke had reported.

Their skin was warm and sticky from their sex, sliding against its counterpart with soft sounds as they shifted – to get at their beer, to cradle a chin in a palm, to stroke through soft hair. The rain was soothing.

The stereo downstairs was still playing, the music faint.

"My children love thunderstorms." He didn't know why. Why he had said that, after promising himself that they were distinct universes – why they loved storms, he also didn't know.

Sasuke drank beer.

"Aki is like my wife. A bit of me to temper it though."

The kid leaned his forehead against Kabuto's chest.

"Tsume looks like my wife. I don't know who she resembles personality-wise, she's a girl... females are very different. They blow up so easily."

Sasuke was still curled around him. "Yeah. I have two girls as... friends." He sounded unsure of the word. "One of them is pretty excitable."

"Colleagues?"

"Hn."

They were quiet again. Kabuto couldn't force himself to feel uncomfortable about telling Sasuke of his children. It had felt natural. He didn't dwell on it.

He tightened his grip on Sasuke. The kid fit perfectly, his head beneath Kabuto's chin, one leg slung over his hip, the other pulled up to let him as close as possible, his hands now linked behind Kabuto's neck – perfect. The blanket was warm and cocoon-like around them, muffling the cold. Kabuto pulled the teen even closer. "How old are you actually?"

Sasuke pulled back slightly to answer. "Fifteen."

Kabuto blinked. He'd thought he was -- "How old did you think I was?" Sasuke sounded indifferent, but Kabuto knew him better.

"Older."

"I think you're... late twenties."

"I'll take that as a compliment. I'm thirty-three."

Sasuke huffed a small chuckle. "Lolita complex, anyone?"

"You don't count."

"Whatever."

"It's Valentine's Day."

Silence.

"That was random." The teen's voice was exasperatedly amused.

"It's dark, let me be a romantic."

"Not dark enough."

Kabuto kissed a pale forehead. "You're endlessly, irritatingly pragmatic."

"Thank you."

"It's Valentine's Day."

"Stop it!"

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Okay, I'll stop here... did you like it? I decide to leave off the morning after, it got awkward and boring...

IT'S LONG! YAY!

They both get a bit OOC, I think... Oh well.

PLEASE review. I really appreciate reviews... school is ON! And the disorders that Itachi has... are out of my AP Psych textbook... they fit, okay?

REVIEWS!


	20. Chapter 20

Hey everyone! What's up... LALALA.

Okay, I have no real concrete idea of what the Sabakus are doing on their Valentine's Day mega-date, but we'll see, won't we?

**BAMBI: **Cool! You're in 11th grade too! Go juniors! And as for my schedule... on Tuesdays I have school start at 11:30, but my day ends at 4. And otherwise, except for Mondays(10 classes, school out at 5) and Fridays(4 classes – OMFG YEAH! -- and school out at 2), I always have school out at 4. How is your school day? -- And yes, I am planning for some good, hot and heavy GaaNaru somewhere in the near future... we'll both enjoy it!

Oh, and I have a three new hardcore reviewers... welcome **Jess Anime**,** Cyberchao X **and **Griever5**!

Hemhem. Sorry. I love being mentioned in fics, myself, so I thought I'd do it for them.

Randomness: System of a Down.

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Suit Square

The Meteorological Institute was a relic from the eighteenth century, a massive stone structure that had been dubiously modernized by hacking off stonework and exchanging a few walls for giant windows. It was pretty pathetic, actually. The ragged, mournful trees that surrounded the stone looked nothing but tired, and the concrete path leading up to the glass and wood entrance doors was paved with old, petrified wads of gum, bird gunk, and candy wrappers.

The Institute wasn't exactly the State's favorite, seeing as they worked on unveiling all the fuck-ups with the climate control program. Thus, their subsidies were barely sufficient to pay the electricity bills.

Due to the State's dislike of the Institute, it relied on private investors to keep all its finances in the black. This meant they bowed and scraped to some seriously weird people whenever they visited, but it was a small price to pay for being able to continue their research.

Temari glanced up from her simulation-computer's control panel as a door slammed, and footsteps sounded in the dimly lit underground room. Long rows of simulation-computers – twice as wide as Temari, and half again as tall – filled the place, whirring and clicking as they calculated weather fields and disturbances, water temperatures, wind strengths...

Dr. Yamanaka came into view, his golden hair bound up into a strict ponytail and his blue eyes cold. The man gave Temari the creeps.

She nodded and forced a smile, turning away from the glowing switches on the control panel and slipping her hands into the pockets of her long white lab coat. Dr. Yamanaka gave her a tight little grimace – he would call it a smile -- and said, "I believe there is someone waiting for you in the entrance lobby. They wanted to send someone down to get you, but seeing as I was already on my way..." His voice rose a bit, into a whining tone.

Right. He was _such _a martyr, after all. Temari resisted the urge to snarl something unpleasant at him.

Who would be waiting for her? She didn't remember ordering anything --

... Oh shit.

"Dr. Yamanaka!"

The man looked up from where he was fiddling with a different sim-comp's control panel. "Yes, Dr. Sabaku?"

Temari was hurriedly flipping the last switches on her own computer, and bit out her words in a rush. "Do you have the time?"

The tall, blonde man raised an elegant eyebrow, palpably belittling her for forgetting her own watch. "Yes, I do." He pulled back one of his stiff white sleeves and drawled uninterestedly that it was shortly after two o'clock.

Temari winced. "Ah-- thanks. Have a nice weekend, I'm off."

She heard rather than saw the other scientist's slight nod, already making her way through the rows of beeping machines to the glass and plastic doors at the end of the room. The scratched, scuffed linoleum clicked hollowly beneath her lavender high-heels as she pushed them open and hurried up the following flight of steps. They were concrete, as was the whole stairwell. A neon bar illuminated the place, dirty yellow light trickling through cracked concrete.

Temari hastened through the doors at the top of the stairs, down a long, hardwood-floored hallway that was decorated with dark and grand arches of fake gold, and into the lobby. Here, the style and era of the architecture changed yet again, abruptly.

The lobby was a vaguely triangular room, two walls simply sheets of glass through which Temari could see nothing but a sea of gray, curtains of rain beating against the windows. The entrance door was cut into one of them, the beginnings of the concrete path just visible in the driving rain. The last wall was a grayish fake-marble monstrosity, and at one side was the door she was standing in. The other half of the wall was dominated by a tall counter. A brown-haired boy in a yellow suit sat behind it, playing a cheap computer game on his monitor and ignoring the blinking and ringing phone next to him. He barely glanced up at Temari as she scanned the lobby, radiating frustration.

There was a row of uncomfortable seats against one of the window-walls, a low table with old magazines cutting the line of chairs in half. At the far end of the seat row, flicking through an entertainment magazine, sat Temari's date.

Her dark hair was up in its buns again, pink cloth wrapped around the knots of hair and tied off with metallic silver cords. She was sitting low in her seat, legs spread unselfconsciously as she stared at her magazine. Her miniskirt rode up around her thighs, the black fabric darkened in places from the rain outside and tight over black, lace-patterned tights. She wore a silver top, fastened behind her pale, slender neck and dipping low in the front to show the first swelling of her breasts. The shirt stopped shortly before her bellybutton, the skin hollowing into a dip between two sharply defined hipbones. A pink, shiny raincoat, looking around thigh-length, was tossed on the seat next to her.

The girl's pink boots – knee-high, shiny, metal-buckled – tapped out a discordant rhythm on the linoleum, and one hand was rubbing absently at an earlobe, pinching the long earring between silver-painted nails. Her dark eyes were intent on the magazine, pink-painted lips pursed in concentration and eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Temari walked up to her, cursing the time for having passed so quickly. She had wanted to change out of her coat before the girl came. They had agreed to meet here, the girl saying that Temari picking her up was a bad idea – probably she had conservative parents. Temari hadn't pressed the point, and agreed to meeting at her workplace.

The girl looked up from her magazine as a shadow fell over it, bright lips quirking into a rakish grin. "Hey."

Temari smiled her most predatory smile. "Hey. Sorry, I forgot the time."

A bare shoulder lifted in a shrug, the bare skin soft even in the unforgiving neon light. "No big deal, I love reading old magazines."

Temari laughed. "Whatever. So, ready to go?"

The girl dropped her magazine next to her and snatched up her coat. "Sure, but... don't you need to change?"

Temari grimaced. "Oh, right. Wait here for two seconds , I'll be right – what's your name, anyway?"

The girl laughed. "I'm Tenten."

Temari grinned. "Ah. I'm -- "

"Temari." Tenten said, gesturing to the blonde's nametag.

"-- and I'll be right back." Temari finished, smiling.

Tenten watched the taller girl – nah, she was a woman – leave the gray, ugly room. She shrugged into her coat, snapping the buttons closed. Turning to the gray mass of water outside the windows, she laughed softly to herself.

She'd noticed the woman in the store because of her hair. The four ponytails had just... attracted her attention. And when she'd seen the rest of the woman...

Well, Tenten wasn't exactly straight, no matter what she faked up for men at night.

She shifted, tugging down the hem of her miniskirt. She was the slightest bit nervous about this date-thing. Her last romantic adventure had been a few months ago, with the cleaning lady of her favorite jewelry store, and that one had been more like... ok, let's fuck in the broom closet. Period. Dating hadn't been a part of it.

Before that, she'd fooled around with Ino a few times, but the blonde girl had gone on her nerves with her constant 'Sasuke'-ing – thank God she was over that now – and so Tenten had stopped it. They had gone back to being friends without the benefits, and even after the Sasuke and Naruto thing, and Ino's awakening to the facts of life, they'd stayed that way.

Yeah, and now she was going on a date with someone who was older, and more... the woman – Temari – was so collected, so utterly... fascinating. And she'd said there would be other people there.

Ack.

Tenten heard the door into the lobby squeak open, and shrugged a small shrug. Whatever. It would most likely be fun, no matter what. She turned around to greet the woman, biting her lip on a gasp of admiration.

Temari was wearing a long purple mantle, the soft-looking, thick wool open over tight cream-colored pants, velvety high-heels, and a dark green shirt with a deep V-neck that displayed the hollow between her breasts and clung to her curves. She smiled that cool, aloof smile that made Tenten want to melt – it was so _sexy!_ -- and made a gesture toward the exit. "Ready to go?"

Tenten grinned. "Of course."

°

"Gah, I just can't find my last safety pin... Kankuro, have you seen it?"

Kankuro was in the corner of the living room that held the stove, sink, and fridge and counted as their kitchen. "No, I haven't. Why are you so worked up, anyway?"

Ukon appeared in the door to their bedroom, wearing only a long flannel shirt, checkered red and green and tattered from long Ukon-ownership and hanging open over his slim white body. Kankuro's mouth went dry.

The silver-haired man didn't seem to notice his lover's expression – well, no, he probably had, and just loved tormenting him... -- and crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe and smiling, green lipsticked lips curving seductively. One flannel-covered shoulder rose and fell. "I'm not. _You're_ worked up."

Kankuro put his glass of milk down. He watched avidly as Ukon leaned just so, that the shirt fell back and exposed a pale, smooth hip and the rest of a long thigh. "Am I now?"

Ukon's raspy voice was completely soaked with sex. "You are."

Kankuro pretty much teleported them into the bedroom.

A while later, Ukon draped over Kankuro's stomach and fixing his crooked piercings in the hand mirror they always kept on their bedside table, and Kankuro listlessly going over job offers in the Citymag, the silver-haired man said, "When does the thing start again?"

"Two-thirty. We started getting ready way too early. We can still catch a shower and stuff – hmm. Do you think I could cut it as a salesperson?"

"I guess."

"All right, I'll go there tomorrow."(1)

Ukon stood from the bed. "I'm going to shower."

Kankuro looked up from his magazine to his lover, who was standing with hands on hips, completely naked and grinning his sex-grin. He mock-groaned and let the magazine fall. "Okay, okay, I'm coming."

°

The restaurant that the siblings had chosen was a traditional one, with tatami and low tables and hard sitting cushions for the weak of bum. Kankuro had reserved a table early on, since the place tended to fill up quickly. The lights were dim and warm, brightly patterned paper lanterns placed in the middle of each dark wooden table. The tables were separated by paper screens in dark wooden frames, painted with _kanji _and traditional scenes in the old style. The walls were a neutral beige, and soft old music played beneath the hum of conversation.

There were only two other tables occupied in the restaurant; a couple that was sitting at the front window, looking out at the rain and traffic and speaking in low, poisonous tones over cocktails and sushi, and a group of three businessmen that were discussing finances with an alarming number of sake bottles amassed next to them. The rain rushed down outside.

They reached their table, the card on it spelling out _Sabak _instead of _Sabaku, _and sat down after taking their shoes off and leaving them in the aisle between the eating alcoves. Ukon was muttering curses against the weather, his stained and patched jeans soaked through and his shirt – low around his shoulders like a shawl, a bright vicious green – dark with water. His hair was drying already, frizzing out at the crown of his head. The chain-earring thing's chain swing against his pale cheek with a metallic ringing, and his fresh-painted nails combed through the silver strands of hair with bored dedication.

Kankuro wasn't much better off, his loose black jeans wet against his skin and his long-sleeved black shirt clinging to his torso uncomfortably. He shifted into a more comfortable position on the tatami and glanced at his watch. "Well, we're on time."

Ukon nodded absently. He frowned into the recesses of the restaurant, a hint of a whine in his rough voice. "Tch. Where is the--"

The waitress appeared suddenly, dressed in a simple blue and white yukata and simpering, "Would you like the menu?"

Kankuro shook his head. "No, we know the restaurant. We're still waiting for a few people, but I'll have a coffee for now."

The waitress bobbed her head in a very annoying way, her eyelashes batting at Kankuro. He resisted the urge to run and hide. He was wearing his face paint... women loved his face paint.

Ukon fixed the woman with a deathglare. She hadn't really registered him yet, turning now. Kankuro watched her, waiting expectantly.

Her watery blue eyes hurried over his lover's form, over the ripped and stained clothes, the bare skin, the bracelets and rings, the painted nails, and fixed on the piercings with a kind of horrified fascination. She didn't seem to notice that Ukon was glaring at her with the force of quite a few hellfires, instead wrinkling her nose and saying, shakily but still disgustedly, "And you, ... sir?"

Ukon smiled dangerously, the chain across his cheek ringing. "I'll have miso and a coffee. And a bottle of warm sake for me and my boyfriend."

The girl's eyes widened, and she glanced from Ukon's maliciously amused eyes to Kankuro, who was reining in his laughter and wondering what had happened to the nice waitress that they were used to seeing here. Seeing no aid forthcoming, the girl bobbed her head again, a small squeak escaping her as Ukon moved quickly and abruptly to Kankuro's side, leaning to kiss him...

She disappeared _very_ quickly.

Kankuro sighed in exasperation once Ukon had let him go. "Ukon, you know, she really wasn't my type."

Ukon looked confused. "I don't care who your type is. I just don't like it when weird little sluts try to eye-fuck _my _boy."

Kankuro laughed. "You know, you're bad at hiding jealousy."

Ukon made a belittling noise. "I have nothing to be jealous of. You are utterly my slave."

Kankuro winced. It was a bit too close to the truth.

The door of the restaurant opened, letting in a rush of cold wind and the sound of a lot of traffic in a lot of water along with two figures. Kankuro recognized Temari's ragged ponytails and her long mantle, but didn't know who the other person was.

The two made their way towards them, and from the way that Temari had an arm slung oh-so-casually around the girl's waist told Kankuro all he needed to know. Next to him, Ukon cackled something about blondes being nymphos. Kankuro winced inwardly; the remark brought up unappetizing images of Naruto and Gaara, and of Temari and whoever... and besides, Ukon calling someone a nympho was the pot calling the kettle black.

"Hey, Kankuro, Ukon." Temari said from in front of their table. She took off her mantle, dropping it behind Kankuro. "I've brought someone with."

The girl was busy with her shoes, and Kankuro didn't see much beyond a short skirt, silver and pink until she straightened and stepped into the alcove to take a seat next to Temari, who was already kneeling across from Ukon. She was pretty, a slip of a girl that looked young unless you saw her eyes, and dressed in a silver top that showed off a pale, smooth back and a short skirt that slid up sculpted legs in elaborate tights. Her hair was put up into two wrapped buns, and her pink coat lay in a pile behind her.

Temari grinned and made a small gesture towards her. "This is Tenten. Tenten, that big guy in black is Kankuro, and piercing-boy there is Ukon."

Tenten cocked her head and smiled, the expression challenging them to say anything against her. "Hey."

Kankuro nodded, "Nice to meet you."

Ukon was still curled around Kankuro, and his voice vibrated down the older man's neck as he said, surprisingly friendly, "Hey. We've already ordered sake... oh yeah, here it is anyway."

The waitress had returned, and she barely looked at Kankuro and Ukon as she placed their coffee before them and set down the sake. The bowl of miso soup that Ukon had ordered was given with a small shiver, and Kankuro tried not to roll his eyes.

The waitress straightened and turned to the two women. "What can I get you?"

Temari looked up from murmuring something to Tenten and said, "Hmm... a jasmine tea."

She turned to the girl at her side. "Tenten?"

Tenten shrugged. "A coffee, I guess."

The waitress was bobbing her head again. "Will there be more people arriving, or shall I get you the menu?"

"We're waiting on two more." Kankuro answered. The waitress flinched, nodded, and scurried away.

Temari laughed her usual, malicious laugh. "What did you do to the poor thing? She's trembling."

Ukon smiled slowly and pressed a bit closer to Kankuro. "She was looking at Kanky-chan here in the wrong way."

Temari laughed again, and Kankuro growled, "_Don't _call me that."

Tenten was watching them, chuckling softly.

The drinks came soon, and they talked about the weather, Kankuro's lack of a job, Ukon's laziness, maggots, vodka, and somehow got to sex.

"Well, I think that dildos are overrated. Did you know that they use toxic chemicals in them?" Ukon started.

Kankuro groaned. The restaurant was filling up, and Ukon wasn't making any attempt to keep his voice down. "Ukon! Please!"

Temari's voice was amused. "Piercing-boy, I don't think we need to hear this."

Tenten had been pretty quiet up till now, sipping her coffee and simply listening. Now, she said, "Really? I didn't know that. But I suppose that yeah, they are overrated. Did you know they have a new line? Something flashing. It plays music."

Ukon's eyes widened, Temari laughed, and Kankuro stared.

Ukon cackled. "Really? What kind of music?"

"I don't know... probably you can choose."

Temari was leaning on her elbows, her torso angled over the table. Her green shirt was tight around her curves. The girl was sitting with one leg up and the other relaxed on the tatami, and her hands inscribed circles in the air as she spoke. The two women were leaning towards each other, so imperceptibly that Kankuro wouldn't have noticed it if Temari wasn't his sister.

Temari was grinning. "How do you know all this stuff, Tenten? Experience?"

The pink fabric on one of the girl's buns had loosened, the silver cord hanging uselessly around it. She winked. "Maybe."

Kankuro groaned. "Oh, please. Get a room."

Tenten rolled her eyes at him. "Dude, get a grip. It's not like you're keeping it down on the cuddling."

Ukon laughed. "She's got us there..."

They were quiet for a bit, drinking.

Temari gestured around the restaurant all of a sudden. "It's getting full. The others are late."

"Who are we waiting for?" Tenten asked.

"Our little brother and his boyfriend." Kankuro answered.

"They're probably having a last-minute fuck." Ukon grinned. "I know that_ I_ was all for having one. Suppose your bro didn't think much differently. But his sextoy is less responsible than you are, so they _did _have one. Unlike us."

Kankuro and Temari both winced. "Please, Ukon. Don't give us those images." The man muttered.

Tenten laughed, clear and high.

The waitress returned all of a sudden, smiling weakly. "Can I get you anything else? The menu?"

"You're rather fixated on the menu," Temari said dryly.

Kankuro winced when the waitress's expression wavered. "I think we can order without the menu, thank you. Temari, do you want to just order food now?"

The blonde shrugged. "Yeah, I'm hungry."

"Okay then, I'll have _sashimi_."(2) Ukon offered, his voice still dangerous as he spoke to the waitress. She shivered.

Temari was biting her lip to keep from laughing. "I'll take _udon_."(3)

"_Sashimi _for me, too." Tenten murmured, amusement thick in her voice.

Kankuro sighed inwardly. "_Tempura_. The mix."(4)

The girl wrote on her pad, bobbing her head every now and then. Then she straightened and said, softly, "So.. _Udon, Tempura_-mix, and--" her voice trailed off as a tall, slender form stepped around her.

Kankuro shrank back in spite of himself, and he knew without looking that Temari had frozen in place. Ukon had stilled around him.

Gaara's hair was plastered to his skull, the scar on his temple standing out on wet skin. His flat, opaque green eyes slid over the table occupants. Kankuro heard Tenten gasp.

The waitress stood still, looking lost, scared and just plain fed up.

"Hey everyone! Sorry we're late! We had to--" Naruto's bright, loud voice relaxed the atmosphere slightly. He appeared from behind Gaara, in orange and jeans, soaked to the bone. He grinned around the alcove. "So.. what's u-- _Tenten?_"

Tenten's eyes were really, really big. "_Naruto_? What are you doing here?"

The blonde kid shook his head. "Uh... no, what are _you _doing here?"

Temari spoke up, her arm snaking around the girl's waist. "She's here with me. Do you know each other?"

The kids nodded, and Tenten murmured, "We... work at the same shop."

Kankuro froze, Ukon murmured something under his breath, and Temari's eyes widened. Gaara didn't react.

So... Tenten was a prostitute.

Naruto didn't seem to notice their reactions, and nodded. "... yeah, we're colleagues. Um, so... can we sit down?"

In the scuffling and shifting that followed, they managed to run the info through their minds and come to the same conclusion that they had reached with Naruto. Temari shrugged the data off right away – the girl was beautiful, and seemed to be more than just a simpering little kid... who cared what her job was... right?

Kankuro didn't have anything to do, really, with Tenten, and thus it went even faster for him. And Ukon...

Well, Ukon was Ukon and didn't care either way.

The waitress managed to put a simpering smile on and ask, "Would you like something to eat and to drink?"

Naruto grinned. "Ramen! And a hot chocolate. It's fucking freezing out."

Gaara was sitting with one arm on the tatami and the other tangled in the belt loops of the blonde kid's jeans. "_Sashimi_."

The waitress nodded and hurried off.

Tenten laughed suddenly. "So... you're siblings. Funny coincidence, huh?"

Temari chuckled and leaned a bit closer. "It's a small world."

Ukon had unwound himself from Kankuro and was saying, "Hey, I'm Ukon," to both Naruto and Gaara. Gaara didn't react, and Naruto grinned a hello, immediately launching into questions about the piercings that gleamed in the restaurant's dim light.

Kankuro leaned back against the screen and looked over at Gaara. His brother's eyes flashed, and his lips curved into the slight , dangerous smile that had scared the living daylights out of Kankuro his whole life long. Despite Naruto's bouncy presence, the expression still had that effect.

Kankuro managed a weak grin back at his brother, and curled a sudden, possessive arm around Ukon's slim waist. Across from them, Tenten had draped herself over Temari's lap under the pretense of talking to Naruto. The blonde boy was smiling and chatting and laughing, and everyone was focused on him.

Literally _everyone_.

Kankuro watched, fascinated, as Gaara's eyes shifted to the blonde and stayed there, the pale hand on the jeans' belt loops tightening slightly.

Wow. What a kid.

°

They were back at Gaara's place, home. The dinner had finished an hour ago, and they had taken the bus back. It had been fun, and long; the night had fallen.

Tenten and Naruto had both taken the night off... Whore Street would be short quite a few whores, if Lee and Neji were also on a date.

Gaara was on the couch, Naruto curled up as close as he could come without being pushed away. They hadn't been home long, and Naruto was soaked. He watched the redhead drink his vodka, going through the day in his mind.

They had been late because of sex. And what sex! Naruto shivered in delight.

When Tenten had said that she and Naruto were colleagues, Naruto's heart had stopped. Seeing her there... the Konoha crowd knew about his thing with Gaara, sure, but they didn't belong in it. And Tenten, there among them all... it had really, really scared Naruto for a moment. And then with the work thing – he'd thought for one frozen moment htat she'd say _what _they worked as.

But aside from that, it had been fun. Really fun. Ukon, Kankuro's boyfriend, was cool in a weird way, with all his piercings – and the lipstick! Tenten had really liked Temari, Naruto could see. And Gaara had been there, next to him and cold and wonderful.

Naruto stood, abruptly. "I'm going to shower," he said, moving out into the hallway and into the bathroom. The lights were all off, and the apartment was dark. He palmed the bathroom's light switch and started the shower.

He pulled off his clothes, wincing at the open cuts on his hip. He had spent only two hours or so at Whore today, and the rest he had been with Gaara. He didn't think that they had ever had so much sex at one time. And they still had the whole night!

Stepping into the warm spray of water, he groaned softly in contentment. The weather had been a bitch, cold and rainy and utterly non-Valentines-Day. Naruto hated being sopping wet, and today had really tried his patience.

He reached for the shampoo – Gaara's orange-cinnamon stuff – and opened it with a sharp crack.

A hand snaked around him and took the bottle from him. Sharp teeth sunk into his neck.

Naruto's eyes widened, and he nearly fell. "Y-you _scared _me!" he muttered into the water around them.

Gaara pulled his hips back with one hand, and the blonde moaned softly as he felt silky hardness against his skin.

A soft snarl sounded through the curtains of water around them, and Naruto wondered where the bottle of shampoo had gone. Not that it mattered, when --

"Mmmh--"

Gaara pressed harder into his backside and his teeth sliced over his spine. There was no knife, but Naruto had enough cuts --

Fingernails grazed his scabbed-over hip, and he arched, pressing back, moaning. He was leaning against the wall, hands steadying him on the white tiles. The water made everything slippery and sound turned into sensation.

"Gaara – please -- "

The redhead's hand moved down, slid between his legs, fingers rough and challenging as he found --

Naruto bucked his hips as Gaara traced a line over his entrance, moaning soundlessly. He needed him inside, now!

Gaara snarled again, and Naruto felt his cock press _in_, hard and demanding and...

"Oh God..."

Gaara thrust, sheathing himself fully. Naruto groaned, his legs trembling. It hurt, felt so good... his hands were fists against the tiles, the water pounding down around him.

Gaara's teeth grazed his earlobe, biting down. Naruto whimpered. Hands gripped his hips, hard, and Gaara shoved himself in with savage force.

"Ohmygod... Gaara!"

The water fell around him and pummeled onto his back, Gaara pounding into him viciously, tearing him and his hands leaving bruises without a doubt... Naruto loved it.

His entire being focused on the feeling, hard thick cock sliding in and pulling back, pain flaring and subsiding and pleasure flashing up whenever Gaara angled just _so_--

He was sobbing by now, brokenly, whispering nonsense to the cool tiles underneath his cheek, hands curling and opening against the wall. His legs barely held him, heat racing through his veins and pounding louder, louder... coiling tight in his back, rising to _something_ --

Gaara's breathing was harsh in his ear, husky. One hand moved from Naruto's hip to his nipple, twisting. Naruto's sobs rose to a cry, his body arching at the feeling. Gaara's breathing hitched, and the fingers twisted harder.

Naruto felt the heat inside him pulse, try to break out. He pressed back, needing _more_ --

Gaara thrust harder than before, his hand switching to the other bud of flesh and pinching as his cock slammed into Naruto hard enough to dislodge him, push him fully up against the tiles --

Naruto screamed as Gaara's hand returned to his hip, the redhead gripping him with new force and pressing him against the wall, thrusting _hard hard HARD_ --

The heat inside Naruto pulsed again, and he half-whimpered, half-screamed his climax, meeting another savage thrust and sagging against the wall, his hands clutching at the tiles to keep himself upright.

Gaara's hands tightened on Naruto's hips, burying himself deep into the blonde one last violent time. His teeth sunk into the soft skin of Naruto's neck as his release came over him, hot inside the blonde. A harsh groan tore from his lips.

The redhead relaxed, pulling out of Naruto. The blonde whimpered softly, tender and torn from the encounter.

The water continued to run around them, and Naruto managed to turn, facing Gaara.

The redhead's eyes were locked on his, cold and green.

Naruto sighed softly, his lips moving in a sated smile. "Love you, Gaara."

Gaara's eyes flashed, and he was close, teeth nipping at the blonde's lips, hands roughly caressing Naruto's scars and the _kanji _on his belly.

Naruto leaned into the attack, whimpering. Gaara ended it just as quickly as it had begun, arms on either side of Naruto's head and his lips close to Naruto's ear. The blonde stared into the shower's water, not wanting to move.

"_Naruto_."

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(1) In case anyone has noticed, I am not adhering to the usual... weekend is rest time for EVERYONE... thing. In Germany, NO shops have open on Sunday, and 24/7 shops are an exotic idea from the US that will NEVER be implemented. In this fic, though, the weekend is just as valid work time as any other. Thus, it's not weird to go and apply for a job on a Sunday.

(2) _Sashimi _is raw fish cut into pieces and served with soy sauce... YUM.

(3) Thick, smooth noodles in soup. Kinda like ramen, only with fat noodles.

(4) _Tempura _are veggies and meat, breaded and deep-fried. 'The mix' means that Kanky-chan wants all kinds of _tempura_.

Anyway, about the end... in case anyone doesn't get it, or doesn't know how to interpret it... I just can't write Gaara saying 'I love you'. That would be a crime. So... Gaara's saying Naruto's name is supposed to mean, like, that he cares for him.

Well, you know what I mean.

Thank you all for reviewing! I love you!

It was a LONG CHAPTER! YAY!

Please review, loves!


	21. Chapter 21

Hey everyone...

Here's chap 21.

**ROCK MY BOX: **I will most certainly do you that favor... you'll have to be patient though. Thank you for reviewing and all!

And everyone who wants a TemTen lemon... the most I can manage for yuri is lime. I just have no talent when it comes to that. Sorry...

Randomness: Subway to Sally, "Veitstanz".

This is like a Morning After thingie.

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Suit Square

Temari wasn't used to waking up with someone else next to her. Her usual fucks were exactly that, quick sex in filthy bathrooms and back rooms. Beds were rather rare in her love life. And _her _bed was nonexistent in there.

But here she was, with the dirty light of a gray Sunday morning filtering in and a slender black-haired body tangled around her, in her own apartment, on her own big bed and with her own alarm clock giving her the time. Funny shit.

One of Tenten's pale, slim arms was flung over Temari's belly, the other was curled beneath herself, the palm of her hand cupping her cheek in a child's pose. Her hair was loose and messy, dark strands twisted and tossed and trailing over Temari's lavender sheets. Her lips were curved into a half-smile, and she lay on her stomach.

Temari followed the curve of the girl's spine down to where it disappeared under the beige blanket. A tattoo of an incredibly detailed heap of weapons decorated the smooth plane of one shoulder blade. The girl's earrings, the long chains of pink plastic crystals draped over her white neck, gleamed in the pallid morning light.

The sex had been great.

Temari's eyes continued down Tenten's form, past the curvy hips and the sculpted thighs, outlined by the clinging blanket. She smiled.

The hand on her belly moved, sliding over her skin. Tenten's eyes opened, blinked, blinked again, and then stayed open. Her lips twitched, her smile widening. "Morning."

Temari nodded. "Hey."

Tenten sat up, stretching her arms above her head and groaning softly in satisfaction. Her breasts were small, pert; a girl's breasts. Her ribs pressed against her skin as she stretched, receding when she dropped her arms back to the bed.

Temari stood from the bed, her carpet warm under her bare feet. She snagged the pants of the day before from the floor, slipping them on and picking her top up before tossing it on as well. She turned to the girl in the bed. "Hungry?"

Tenten's nails glinted metallic silver as she combed through her hair. "Yeah."

Temari moved to her closet, picking out a loose blouse and dropping it on the bed. "Here. I'll be in the kitchen, the bathroom's over there if you need it."

Tenten nodded. "Okay, I'll be right there."

Temari moved out of the bedroom and through her living room to the kitchen, where the windows were open to the cold morning. She closed them quickly, setting water to boil and peering into her small fridge. Cottage cheese, cucumber, salami, marinated chilies, yogurt.

Temari was many things, but she wasn't a cook.

A sound at the kitchen doorway made her look up, and she smiled at the sight that greeted her.

Tenten had closed some of the blouse buttons, but not all, and the curve of her breasts peeked out of the top of the shirt. Her legs were bare, silver toenails gleaming in the cold light. She grinned at Temari. "Nice place... I didn't see much of it yesterday."

Temari laughed. "No, I doubt you did. I was trying to keep you busy."

"Hmm, you did it admirably."

They were quiet, Temari making coffee mechanically and Tenten leaning against the counter.

"It was fun yesterday." Tenten said after a while.

Temari nodded. "Yeah."

"We'll do it again?"

"Sure." Temari handed the girl her coffee.

Tenten took it and caught Temari in a deep kiss.

They parted, and the younger woman murmured, "Back to the bed?"

Temari just laughed.

°

The bed was empty.

Sasuke sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with the back of one hand. He hissed in pain and surprise as pain lanced through him.

He stared at the ugly sore between his pointer and his middle finger, the night coming back. Telling Kabuto about Itachi and that shit, the darkness...

He let his hand rest on the blanket and gazed around the room. The weak sunlight of the morning inched forward from the balcony. The sky was grey, and the remnants of the night before still lay around – beer bottles, discarded clothes, cigarette butts.

Sasuke stood, wincing and cursing Kabuto's size despite the fact that he knew he loved it. He found his crumpled and squashed pack, and snarled a curse when it turned out to be empty. He'd smoked too much again. And, judging from the slight buzz in his head, he'd also overdone the drinking.

He found Kabuto's green sweatshirt and shrugged it on before padding downstairs in search of the man. He found him in the living room.

"Hey."

Kabuto looked up from where he was fiddling with the stereo. His thin lips curved up. "Hey. Sleep well?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Hn."

Music sounded suddenly, strangely abbreviated beats and high female voices in a foreign language. "What's this?"

Kabuto stood. "Something Russian."

He moved to Sasuke, kissing him. "I've got to go to work soon."

Sasuke felt like a wife. In a weirdly good way.

The man ran a hand through his hair. "I'll drive you back to the Street, okay?"

Sasuke nodded slightly.

He stayed where he was though, face pressing into Kabuto's soft shirt, inhaling the scent of ocean air. Just a bit longer.

It wouldn't hurt to pretend, just a bit longer, that he belonged here.

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Nope, no GaaNaru. We've had lots of their mornings, so... no.

How'd you like it? I'm pretty much back to making it up as I go... wracking my brain for how to introduce the next conflict...

Thanks for the ones who've reviewed!

Randomness. Subway to Sally, "Herrin des Feuers."


	22. Chapter 22

Hey everyone!

**Can't Think of Anything**(love your name, by the way): Wow! You're the first person to mention Tsunade! I'd been wondering why no one had picked up on that... I might slip her in somewhere, we'll see.

Here's chap 22!

Randomness: Subway to Sally, "Das Messer."

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Suit Square

"You really had me scared there for a sec, man."

Tenten nodded, smiling over her cards. "Me too. I was all, what's going on here?"

Naruto rolled his eyes and shifted his grip on his own cards. "Mmhm."

The Konoha was lively for the late afternoon, everyone except for Kiba and Shino resting and talking. Shikamaru was in his usual position, Ino was flicking through a shiny magazine, Sasuke was smoking, Kakashi and Iruka were on the shop steps, and Tenten and Naruto were playing cards. It was cool, not cold enough for jackets but not warm enough for t-shirts; the usual weather for the majority of the time in the City.

Tenten laid a card down among the rows of like numbers that she had already assembled, grinning at the blonde across from her. "I'm winning, Naruto. So... that was your Sandman-dude?"

Naruto nodded, looking at his cards. "Yeah... Sasuke told you guys who he was, right?"

Tenten winced at the memory. The Sasuke then had been very different from the smoking, half-smiling teen sitting a few feet away, ignoring them. "Yeah. Aren't you scared? I'd be peeing my pants around someone like that if I were alone with him. Hell, Kankuro and Temari were frozen stiff."

Naruto slipped a few cards into his own rows. His eyes were intent on the numbers and pictures as he said, "No, I'm not really scared. It's... oh, I don't know. I guess I'm just used to it."

Tenten laughed. "Used to being around a completely insane dude...? You're weird, Naruto."

Naruto shrugged. "It's your turn." It was true, though. He supposed he really had grown used to it. Not that he didn't still sometimes break out in a cold sweat when Gaara got angry, but he somehow took it for granted that Gaara was violent, and it had simply become normal to be faced with the threat of pain. He probably liked it better that way...

Fuck, he had just as many issues as Gaara, when it came down to it.

Tenten finished her turn, and he checked his cards for the next move.

Sasuke was reading a book that he he'd picked up two days ago, after the Saturday night of darkness and candles and sex. He'd spent the early afternoon on Nom Street, perusing the flea market, to find it. It had been a random idea, popping into his mind as he'd looked back on the night.

He'd vaguely remembered something about it from school, hearing his Literature teacher speak about it with an older student. And of course from his brother's Psychology stuff.

Sasuke had managed to find a copy of it in the original Russian. Statespeak was a mixture of languages based heavily on Russian, and he could read it with a minimum of guessing at the longer words. The archaic wording took a while to get used to, but that was a given. It was published in the early twentieth century, after all.

The cigarette was held in his right hand instead of his usual left; the blister was healing slowly in the cold, and it was a bit awkward with the flipping of the yellowed, fragrant pages. He managed.

Sasuke was a whore, and he was currently having sex with someone who was married and had two kids. Even so, the book disturbed him.

And Lolita hadn't even appeared yet! Who knew how sick it could get then...

Kakashi laughed somewhere in front of him, and he looked up, taking a clumsy puff of his cigarette and holding the pages of the book down with his injured hand. Kakashi was leaning against the wall of the little alcove into which the steps to the shop door were set, and Iruka was sitting on the steps themselves. Both men had a cup of something hot held in their hands. Iruka was blushing slightly, and Kakashi still laughing.

Sasuke watched them, fascinated in spite of himself. Despite Kakashi's overactive libido, they were still so...

Kakashi bent down and brushed a strand of dark hair from Iruka's forehead. The Forcer frowned and muttered something, turning away slightly and sipping at his cup. Kakashi chuckled and answered softly, before straightening and drinking of his own beverage, his eyes shifting to lock on Sasuke's. He grinned slowly and insolently.

Sasuke scowled and turned back to his book. Fuck them.

He tuned Naruto's exclamation of disappointment as the blonde lost – _again_ -- , and went on to read about how to identify a 'nymphet'.

Seriously, if Kabuto thought like this about Sasuke, then he wasn't ever going to fuck him again. This was just plain sick.

°

"Kiba, are you coming or not?" Shino sounded exasperated, if aloofly so.

The shaggy-haired teen ignored him and gently ran his fingers through Akamaru's fur. "Akamaru? What's wrong?"

The dog growled in pain and annoyance, and Kiba frowned. "Shit, what's going on?"

Shino was standing already, the sky an afternoon lavender over them. The other hobos in the Suit Square park were still seated on the benches, three on the one next to Shino and Kiba. They were drinking and muttering amongst themselves. The passersby were few and far between.

Shino turned away slightly, glaring through his glasses. "Kiba."

"Dammit, Shino, calm the fuck down. What if something's really wrong with him?"

The question ended up answering itself, Akamaru getting to his feet and limping off towards the bus stop. Kiba stood and brushed off his sweater, watching his dog worriedly.

Shino observed the older boy in silence for a moment, before murmuring, "There's a vet on Nom Street."

Kiba nodded, and they followed Akamaru to the stop, saying their goodbyes to the hobos that slept in the park.

They caught the bus with a group of giggling teens. Kiba growled under his breath. The last thing he needed was...

"Oooh, look at the hobos!"

... that. Normally he wouldn't mind, but with Akamaru all weird... the dog hadn't started acting strange until about an hour ago, and Kiba hadn't noticed until later because Akamaru had been asleep anyways. Had he maybe eaten something bad?

Shino stiffened next to him at the support-pole, and Kiba realized that the styled-up teens must have said something. He stroked the scruff of Akamaru's neck with one hand and put his other arm around Shino, glancing into the back of the bus.

The dingy neon light shone on the almost empty bus; there were a few suits, some shopping-bag laden wives and a styled-up man who looked as if he came straight out of a gay porn magazine. The teens were sitting in the back, sprawled in the peeling and faded seats and laughing loudly about bad jokes. There were five of them, three giggling short-skirted girls and two skinny expensively-dressed boys.

One of the girls made a bad attempt at an insult, something about Shino and Kiba that Kiba didn't really get. Shino tensed up again in his arm. The whole group burst into fake laughter.

Kiba let go of Shino. Okay, he could ignore this shit when it came from grown people and when he was in a good mood. Grown ups never got anything – aside from Kakashi and Iruka – and when he was in a good mood, nothing could really bother him.

But these were kids that were probably around Shino's age, and they were hurting Shino, and Akamaru was sick.

Shino gripped the pole, his knuckles white, when one of the boys made a crude joke. If there was anything that Shino was vulnerable to, then it was sarcasm from kids his own age. Kiba rarely saw Shino's mask crack, but kids had an easy time of it.

Kiba moved towards the teens, his hands in his pockets and his feet placed to balance him against the lurching of the bus. There was a lot of traffic; they were still on the main street, and cars were all around them, in long metallic lines.

The teens stilled as he came closer. He leaned over the back of the seat row before theirs, and said coldly, "I think you should watch your mouth, kids."

The kids looked petrified, and one of the boys – predictable as hell – muttered defiantly, "Why should we?"

Kiba resisted the very strong urge to slam the boy's head into the glass of the window. "Because you're pissing me off, dammit! And you're insulting my friend as well!" He was snarling a bit, he realized belatedly.

Oh well. They deserved some venom.

This time one of the girls spoke up. "So? It's a free country. We can say what we like. An we're saying that you're weird."

Kiba hissed and was about to teach her a lesson in 'weird' when Shino called, "Kiba!"

He glanced out the window, and sure enough, they were at Whore Street. He didn't deign to throw a parting insult, stalking to the door and urging Akamaru down onto the sidewalk. The bus doors closed with a hiss, and the vehicle lurched away.

The S&M crowd was still lounging about, wearing loose and comfortable stuff as they snuggled together in the bus stop hut. They gave Kiba and Shino a few greetings as the two hobos moved off down the cracked sidewalk. The Lolitas waved to them from their nest of lace, the ramen guy smiled at them, the trannies told them a few coarse jokes, and then the harsh pink Konoha light was flashing on their clothes.

They hadn't spoken on the way there, Shino silent, Kiba worried about Akamaru and still pissed at the gang of teens on the bus.

Sasuke looked up from his faded book, nodding a quiet hello, and Naruto shouted, "Hey!"

Ino flicked her wrist lazily without looking up from her cellphone.

Tenten was busy with her cards, and Shikamaru showed no reaction. The door to the shop was closed.

Kiba gave the crew a tight smile and led Akamaru to Shino and his corner, kneeling beside the dog and checking his coat for anything obvious. Shino leaned against the shopfront, one of the smaller neon signs flashing against his hair.

Ino looked up from her cellphone game. "Is something wrong with the dog?"

Kiba nodded. "I think so."

"You can go to that vet on Nom," Tenten offered.

Akamaru whined in irritation as Kiba touched his stomach, and the brown-haired boy sighed. "I guess I will. You coming, Shino?"

The younger kid nodded slightly. "Sure."

°

"Well, I'm pretty sure it was just simple food poisoning. It'd be best for him to stay here tonight, just for reasons of comfort and warmth."

Kiba almost snapped at the doctor that he could very well provide Akamaru with both those things and he could stop being so fucking patronizing, but reined it in just in time. "Right."

The vet was a tall man with dark hair and drawn, sallow features. He frowned slightly at Kiba and Shino's worn clothes and said, "Our emergency room is open 24/7... if you want to wait here, or rest..."

In other words, the emergency room was a bed if they needed one. Kiba tensed, ready to yell that he very well had his own bed and what the fuck was this crackpot insinuating, when Shino said coldly, "We'll stay, I suppose. Thank you."

The doctor nodded and walked away, leaving Kiba staring at Shino in the sterile white corridor connecting the emergency room/reception with the back rooms for the treatments. "Shino?"

The younger kid adjusted his glasses. "Kiba, you're acting like a rabid dog. Fucking relax. You've got too much damn energy."

Kiba followed him, speechless, back to the waiting room. They were immediately assaulted by the whining and barking of the waiting patients. Fat women with their poodles, Parents and children with rabbits and guinea pigs --

It would be good to be able to stay close to Akamaru, even if they would be sleeping in here.

Kiba sat down next to an elderly man with a parakeet in a cage on the floor beside him, and waited for Shino to take the seat on the other side of him. He looked up, surprised, when the kid didn't do so.

"Shino?" he asked again.

The glasses flashed in the neon light as Shino turned away and made for the exit. Kiba watched him leave and the glass door slam shut on the view of dreary, shop-lined Nom Street.

Fucking hell!

Okay, so Kiba was currently tense. And okay, maybe he _was _overreacting – from Shino's point of view, _anything _was overreacting -- , but still! Couldn't Shino just... be nice sometimes?

He could have stayed here with Kiba, but probably had wanted to go home to the Konoha for his bugs. Kiba could understand attachment to pets, but... wouldn't any other person at least have acted as if they cared?

Fuck.

Kiba glanced over at the old man. He was reading an outdated-looking horse magazine.

_Fuck_.

Kiba loved Shino, he really did. But sometimes he wondered whether his life and family and shit hadn't screwed him up beyond anyone's capabilities. Anyone else – and really _anyone –_ would have managed to sit next to Kiba for at least a few minutes to make him feel a bit better. But Shino...

Grr.

Kiba squelched his anger as soon as he realized that he was directing it at Shino. It made no sense to get angry at the younger kid; it was in no way his fault that his social skills equaled zero. At least he'd started talking and stopped inserting bugs into people's clothes after they insulted him.

He crossed his arms and leaned forward, staring through the wall in the direction of where Akamaru was sleeping and trying to calm himself down. Shino was just Shino, dammit --

"Kiba."

The shaggy-haired kid started, sitting up in shock and staring at Shino. The other boy was standing in front of him holding a paper bag, the bottom of which was soaking through with sweet-smelling grease. Sweets from the shop down Nom.

"Wow. Hey."

Shino nodded and sat down next to him, offering the bag. "Turkish."

Kiba opened the bag, still half-shell-shocked, and peered in. Two hunks of sticky-sweet, flaky baklava, still hot from the oven, sat wrapped in transparent waxy paper. "Wow." he repeated.

Shino's face tilted, and he sounded irritated. "Kiba, it's just sweet food."

Kiba looked up. Shino wasn't looking at him, his eyes seemingly fixed on a point across the room, somewhere near a young girl with a hamster on her lap. And... was it just the light, or was that a _blush_?

Kiba chuckled and fished out one of the pieces of baklava, feeling the pastry stick to his hand even through the wax paper. They always over did the stickiness and the sweetness at the Nom Street sweets place... but it was better than ramen, as long as you didn't have it too often.

He put the bag down on the floor, unwrapped the baklava, and pulled Shino close. "Love you," he murmured.

Shino tensed, as always, and Kiba bit into the sweet chewy pastry with a grin.

The younger kid relaxed slowly and leaned back into him. "Shut up, Kiba."

Kiba just grinned wider.

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Aw, now that was cute. Filler, but cute. And an answer to **Can't Think of Anything**. Kind of, at least.

Please review!

See you then, guys!


	23. Chapter 23

Umm, yeah. Hi all.

Don't know about this chap... I'm on a slight writer's block...

Anyway.

Randomness: Rammstein, "Nebel".

Okay, here's 23. And I've decided to move on with the shreds of plot that I have managed to insert here. There'll be a character in either this chap or the next few that people will be all , "OMGWTF why's he popping up all of sudden" about. The reason for him 'popping up' is simple and really embarassing. When I was vaguely planning WS out in my mind, I completely...

... FORGOT ABOUT HIM.

So yeah, this is a sympathy role and a plea for forgiveness from all his fans. I actually like him... dammit, I'm so pathetic... forgetting about a char so fully...

Oh, and there's been a time jump of... a few weeks. So sue me, I'm lazy, okay? Nothing really interesting happened anyway. Two weeks. So KabuSasu has been going on for a grand total of... five weeks? Correct me if I'm wrong.

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Suit Square

"Quit hogging the blanket, Tenten."

"Shut up. I'm freezing my ass off."

"Well, so am I! My God, just give me an inch or so, it isn't gonna kill you--"

"No."

"Bitch."

"Slut."

"Look who's talking. Goddamn dyke."

"Blonde ball of stupidity."

"Are you calling me fat, you --"

"Ino! Tenten! Shut up, we don't need your bitching!"

"Well stop listening then, dogboy!" Tenten's voice held the barest hint of scratchiness; she was getting sick.

But then, who wasn't? Sasuke had been coughing his lungs out all day, Shikamaru hadn't dressed in enough layers the night before and had had to go to the first aid station over on Heron Street to get fever medicine, Kakashi had gone to Iruka's to get over a really bad cold, Shino was sniffing suspiciously often --

It was around two-hundred and sixty degrees. (A/N: In Kelvin. That's like -15 in Celsius and 5 in Fahrenheit) The temperature had dropped the day before, suddenly and without warning. Whore Street had been struck hard by the cold, and every third whore was sniffling or coughing. Tempers were strained and nerves were raw, with the icy wind slicing through every layer of clothing and spit freezing on chapped lips.

Shino and Kiba hadn't bothered to go begging with such weather. They huddled against the Konoha's dimmed, black-covered window, their blanket folded double and tucked in around them. Akamaru was lying between them, a bony lump underneath the fabric. They had dressed in extra layers, and their other clothing was spread on the sidewalk beneath them.

Ino and Tenten had piled their own stuff above themselves, pink fluffy fabric molded close to their closely cuddled forms. Ino had a bottle of vodka stashed beneath the window ledge, ice crystals floating in the clear liquid.

Shikamaru had scrounged up a few extra blankets for himself from who-knew-where, and was lying underneath them with an unhappy expression. He still looked feverish, his eyes wide and bright.

Sasuke was coughing again, one glove-clad hand holding his mouth. His eyes were closed and his eyebrows drawn together in pain. He had dressed in his long black coat and put on his shoes, and the boots' metal buckles had warmed against Naruto's leg underneath their shared blanket.

The blonde watched with an irritated frown as Sasuke's coughs died away and the pale boy lifted his cig to his lips with a casual, subconscious gesture. "Teme, you _know _that'll kill you. Now especially."

Sasuke shrugged under the blanket. He looked out over Whore Street; the sky was a smog-free greyish white, the cold having dissolved the thick bank of pollution. The apartment houses' windows were closed, curtains drawn, and light shone in more than one window, fighting against the gloom that lingered despite the clear sky. Cars were few and far between on the street, and the wind keened over it.

The smoke hurt his raw throat, and he wondered why the fuck he was smoking. Habit, he supposed.

He should actually be getting up, going to the bus stop, driving to Suit Square --

It was so fucking cold, though --

Naruto muttered, "Hell, look at the street. All we need is a tumbleweed, and then we'd be the perfect Western 2D-vid town."

Sasuke looked at him, startled, and laughed. He stopped immediately, his lungs aching. Naruto was so fucking crazy. And random.

Naruto gave him a crooked grin. "Hey, teme, you're going out again today?"

Naruto had been playing detective the last few weeks, proclaiming that he wanted to find out "why the teme was so happy". He hadn't gotten any results beyond the revelation that Sasuke left Whore every couple of days at around two.

Sasuke didn't think the blonde was trying very hard.

Naruto had been bouncy and hyper, as usual, for these weeks. In fact, everyone had been living up to expectations. No one was acting in any way different. Except Tenten, but she wasn't that changed. Just a bit... softer, maybe. Oh, and Lee was different. It seemed that Lee and Neji had done the deed on Valentine's Day, and if anything the boy with the bowlcut was even _happier _than before. Sasuke's only reaction had been a soft gag at the mental image.

And Sasuke... Sasuke liked to think that he hadn't changed. He didn't really _notice _anything about himself, but if a dobe like Naruto could see through him so easily --

God, what had happened to the world?

Kabuto had met with him as usual, at the vids, to eat. They hadn't been back to the suit's house, though, and Sasuke hadn't asked why. He didn't think he'd like the answer, if he even got the truth.

After all, Tayuya had a lover, didn't she? So maybe Kabuto was just... getting back at her?

Sasuke's lungs hurt, and he pushed the thought away. He realized that Naruto was still waiting for a reply. "... I'm going now."

The blonde nodded, still grinning, and Sasuke felt a stab of jealousy. Not of Gaara.

Of Naruto, because his thing with the redhead was so fucking simple.

°

Kabuto waited at the bus stop with dry lips and watering eyes. It was very cold – not that it didn't get this cold in the City. It was just a few months early. It was unsettling, because he knew enough about the weather system screw-up to be sure that this would last a while.

His car was parked illegally at the curb, a few feet behind the bus stop. It looked out of place on the empty curb.

The main street was empty for this time of day, the traffic moving fluidly without a line anywhere. The wind was sharp and unforgiving and cut into his skin and through his mantle.

Several hobos were huddled inside the bus stop hut, and a frail-looking old lady sat against the concrete at the far end of the shack. She was bundled up in so many layers that her head looked too small for her body. Kabuto watched her, amused, out of the corner of his eye.

A new shock of wind drove mirth from his mind, and he glanced over at the large steel clock on the middle aisle of the broad street. Sasuke was late, and already quite a bit so.

Sasuke was _never _late.

Did it have to do with the cold? Was he sick, maybe?

Kabuto glanced at the clock again. Dammit.

These weeks had been... good? Wonderful? Kabuto wasn't sure what fit better. They had been fun, sex-filled --

But Tayuya simply had _not left _the house. It had driven Kabuto close to violence that he couldn't take Sasuke to his bed again. They were stuck in the car, on the gravel road. Kabuto had offered to go to a hotel often, but Sasuke had turned it down vehemently each time. Kabuto supposed that it had something to do with the kid's profession.

The wind was the worst of it all. The cold itself was dry, better than the slushy wet of snow. But the wind was angry and invincible in its iciness.

They hadn't spoken again of the things that Sasuke had said during the night at Kabuto's house. They were hidden now, and Kabuto didn't think they'd ever be discussed again. Well – discussed was a relative term.

A bus squealed up, a rush of warm acrid exhaust blowing over the bus stop.

Kabuto watched a few people get out, including --

"Kabuto." Sasuke's voice was disfigured by a rasp, his long melodious syllables underlaid with a rough scratch.

So he was sick. He was warmly dressed, a long black leather coat open over jeans, boots and a thick sweater. His eyes reflected the white sky, and the swirls were spinning in their lightless depths, crimson chasing itself in circles over endless black.

"You're sick. Have you been to a doctor?"

Sasuke half-raised a pale hand, all but the fingertips and black-lacquered nails hidden under dark gloves, in a subconscious motion. He stopped it immediately, a line of irritation forming between his eyebrows as he realized that he had no cigarette between his fingers. His frown grew a bit more pronounced as he muttered, "I don't need a doctor."

Kabuto watched him. He was standing a few feet away, not close but not far. He looked annoyed. "If you say so. Food?"

Sasuke shrugged.

°

Sasuke's coughing sounded painful. Painful enough for Kabuto to wince inwardly whenever it started. Sasuke's glares ordered him to be quiet, though, so he decided to leave the kid alone about it. Sort of.

They were in the car, food warm in their stomachs and the heater blasted to full strength. Sasuke had fiddled with the radio as had become his custom, and settled on something tinny and violent. Sometimes the difference in their ages was very obvious.

The teen was leaning against the window of the car, one hand cupping his mouth to muffle his coughing and the other supporting him on the gray upholstery of the seat. His eyes stared out of the window at the narrowing street. They were supposed to be on their way to their usual spot, and it was a testament to how sick Sasuke was that he didn't notice their being completely out of the way of the city outskirts.

He did notice, however, when they stopped. "Where the fuck are we?"

Kabuto gestured to the kid's coat, lying in a heap on the back seat. "Get dressed."

Sasuke scowled at him, but complied. He shrugged into his coat, looking out the car window uneasily. They were somewhere close to the suburbs that Kabuto lived in, on a street lined with shops that looked closed in the pallid light. The few passerby were wrapped in many layers of clothing.

Kabuto got out, and Sasuke did the same, crossing around the car to where the man was standing on the smooth gray sidewalk. "Where are we?" he repeated. His throat hurt.

Kabuto gestured to the house in front of them, a tall white building whose windows reflected the white cold sky. "At my doctor's."

Sasuke stared. "What?" He'd been expecting sex, not...

Kabuto ignored him and moved towards the glass double doors. Sasuke followed him, holding down another coughing fit. Ugh. He hated being sick.

The lobby of the place was white and a far cry from the first aid station on Heron. It looked expensive and state of the art. The woman behind the counter looked as though she'd spent a lot on plastic surgery and had the reddest lipstick that Sasuke had ever seen. And he lived on _Whore Street_.

Kabuto spoke to her, and Sasuke forgot to focus on what the man was saying. The woman's lashes fluttered every millisecond, and her giggling --

Why should he care whether she pushed her considerable... curves... into Kabuto's face? It wasn't as if he had any reason to be mad, right?

RIGHT?

The voice muttered something about jealousy.

Goddammit.

Sasuke _hated_ being sick.

°

"I _didn't _need to go to the fucking doctor." Sasuke insisted. He ignored the fact that his throat felt _much _better already and that the weird cough syrup stuff was just begging to be used again.

Kabuto didn't answer, his lips twitching in amusement.

"Tch."

The silver-haired man made a vaguely inquiring gesture, leaving one hand nonchalant on the steering wheel. "How much time do you have?"

Sasuke fingered his coat pocket. Damn but he wanted a smoke. "As always."

Kabuto nodded. "My wife's not home," he offered.

Sasuke's eyes widened. Finally! They could go back to Kabuto's!

... why was he so eager?

Oh, right.

Because of the cold.

Kabuto watched the crimson wheels in Sasuke's eyes spin, biting back a smile. The kid was happy. Kabuto hadn't been planning on this; Tayuya had called him while he and Sasuke had been at the doctor's, and told him with much colorful language that she was going out with Kidoumaro and that the kids would be with the babysitter.

Well, at least God or whoever was with Kabuto _sometimes_.

He didn't wait for the kid's reply to his offer. He probably wouldn't have listened to him either way; he wanted Sasuke in his bed --

Well, the bed was optimistic. But the stairs would do just as well. Or the floor.

°

Sasuke hadn't expected them to make it to the bed, but...

The dresser? That was kind of pathetic, even for them.

He bit his lip as Kabuto, lube-slicked, slid into him. His hands were gripping the wood of the furniture, and his cheek was pressed against an envelope that looked like a bill. Electricity, maybe.

His mind went blank then, and he couldn't have cared less about what Kabuto had to pay for. "Fuck – Kabuto!"

Kabuto was still half-dressed, leaning over him with one hand on his hip and the other interlaced with Sasuke's left. The sore from two weeks ago was a healing scar now, and Sasuke felt it twinge under the pressure of Kabuto's skin.

The man pulled back and thrust, and Sasuke's teeth bit through his lip as he tried to suppress a cry. God, it seemed like so long since they'd had sex somewhere other than the back seat of the car, uncomfortable and somehow always cold --

He arched as Kabuto released his hand and pulled him upright, pressing his back against him and continuing his deep, violent thrusts. "Kabuto --"

Kabuto's breathing was ragged, his hands hard and bruising on Sasuke's hipbones. Sasuke let out a whimper as the man shifted, pressing the teen's erection against the dresser. Another thrust, sliding --

Sasuke couldn't think at all, hard silkiness pounding into him with fiery strokes, his cock rubbing against the rough wood of the dresser, Kabuto's breath heavy on the shell of his ear.

One of the man's hands left his hips, resting on the dresser and supporting them as he pulled Sasuke's hips back to meet him with the other. Sasuke nearly lost his balance as the next thrusts came harder than before, his hands catching him just in time on the dresser. He arched his back, letting Kabuto thrust -- "Deeper," he gasped.

The man groaned huskily. "God, Sasuke --"

Sasuke lowered himself to his elbows. "Kabuto, just – hurry up, dammit --"

The man's breathing skipped at the pleading note in the slender kid's voice, the rhythm of his thrusts faltering and turning erratic, faster and more violent. Sasuke's head fell forward, and Kabuto brushed his hair out of the way, turning his face so that he could see him – at least enough to watch his eyes widen with each stroke, his lips fall open and release strangled whimpers --

The crimson wheels were spinning, spinning faster than Kabuto had ever seen them before.

Somehow that detail aroused him beyond anything else. He cursed breathlessly, keeping his hand where it was, holding Sasuke's hair back in a tightening fist, as he pulled back and thrust hard and deep.

His eyes were locked on Sasuke's, he could only see one --

The wheel spun faster with the next thrust, he needed more of that tight heat, more of the circling crimson --

Sasuke was begging him for more, harder, deeper --

Kabuto buried himself inside the teen, groaning hoarsely as his climax crashed over him. Sasuke's hands clenched around something on the dresser, Kabuto's fingers were nearly tearing out his hair, thick silky steel was slamming into him with nearly painful force --

Kabuto caught himself on the dresser, Sasuke sobbing the last of his release.

Their breathing took some time to calm down, their hearts pounding hard in the silent corridor.

Once he was certain that nothing nonsensical or sentimental would come out if he opened his mouth, Sasuke muttered, "You're heavy."

Kabuto made an amused sound and slipped out of him without a warning. Sasuke winced in discomfort and hissed, "Warn me, dammit."

Cooling liquid trickled down his inner thigh, feeling sticky already. Kabuto pulled him close with the arm that wasn't supporting him on the dresser. "Next time I will."

Sasuke leaned back against him. He could feel the scratchiness returning to his throat; he had to dig out that cough syrup. Kabuto was solid against his back, safe.

He vaguely wanted a smoke.

The gray light was shining through the wavy rectangular panel of glass on the door.

Sasuke flinched as Kabuto let go of him and began to dress. He composed himself and found his pants, stepping into them and buttoning them up, the metal cool against his skin. His t-shirt was next, then his sweatshirt. His coat was thrown down next to his boots, below the step down to the shoe area. He left it there.

"Take your medicine."

Sasuke looked up, faintly annoyed, but obeyed anyway. He fished the cool glass bottle out of his coat and went into the kitchen. Kabuto followed, his shirt buttoned about three-quarters of the way.

"Where are your spoons?"

Kabuto gestured to a drawer and turned away, reaching into a cupboard and taking out something that looked like tea leaves. He set an electric kettle on to boil, and Sasuke found a spoon.

He let the blue liquid drip onto it, raising it to his mouth and swallowing. It tasted like bubble gum.

Sasuke was just swallowing the second spoonful, the first already soothing his raw throat, when there was the distinct sound of a key turning in a lock. Kabuto looked up from where he was pouring hot water into a stainless steel teapot, and Sasuke swallowed the medicine along with a very, very, bad feeling.

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Oooh, it's a cliffie!

Okay, the char is going to turn up in the next chap then.

Oh well.

In case anyone is wondering why I used Kelvin... it feels futuristic.

So sue me, I'm a sucker for overdoing shit.

Please review! I love you all to death! All those who review get plushies! Of their favorite character!

Over and out!


	24. Chapter 24

Hehe.

On with it!

Randomness: Heed, "The Permanent End Celebration."

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Suit Square

The key, as usual, didn't want to cooperate. Chouji really had to ask Kabuto for a new one.. he just always forgot. Kabuto always had the best snacks, and Chouji would... get off track.

"Chouji! I'mcold!"

Chouji shrugged, taking the key out and sliding it back into the lock, shifting his bag of chips in his grasp. "Sorry, Tsume-chan. My key is being a b – is being mean."

Aki and Tsume were bundled up in thick jackets, and Tsume was wearing heavy white woolen tights beneath her read corduroy dress. It really was freezing; Chouji had had to put on his down jacket before going to pick the kids up from Tayuya a few hours ago.

Chouji didn't mind Tayuya; she had a few problems, and was pretty mean when it came to her marriage – she was so obvious about the cheating! -- , but otherwise he thought she could be okay. If there weren't the big, big problem of her motherhood.

Tayuya couldn't be a mother for shit. Chouji had learned his lesson, and always went to pick Aki and Tsume up. If he didn't, there was no guarantee as to whether they'd even be dressed. If Kabuto were home more often...

Well, he wasn't.

Chouji finally got the door open, and ushered the kids inside. They busied themselves with taking their jackets off, and Chouji glanced around.

Something wasn't right...

His eyes found the shoes.

Kabuto was home? Why hadn't he come to greet them? Was he maybe upstairs.. no, the alarm should have alerted him --

Then Chouji saw the _other _shoes. His eyes widened, and the bag of chips felt very tempting. Chips solved everything, and he didn't want to contemplate the possibilities of those other shoes – Kabuto _never _brought friends or colleagues home, and even if, those boots belong to a young person. Female, likelier than not.

Aki had finished with his jacket, and was now unlacing his shoes. Tsume was still struggling out of her coat, and Chouji helped her without even thinking about it.

Chouji had always admired Kabuto for putting up with Tayuya. And he'd thought that the fact that Kabuto refused to sink to his wife's level was just ... honorable.

He pulled of his shoes and shrugged out of his coat, mind working frantically. Okay, he had to keep Aki and Tsume from going... where would they be doing their thing? Upstairs, for sure. So the living room was a safe bet.

Chouji was sort of used to this; with Tayuya, at least, since she often took her lover here and it was always up to Chouji to keep the kids from seeing them doing... whatever. "So, kids... what do you want to do? Now that you've dragged me back home. You know, I really think that it would have been better to stay at my place. My mother was baking cookies." The kids didn't know _how _good it would have been to stay at his place...

Aki said loudly, "I want to do a puzzle." Tsume murmured her agreement, and Chouji sighed in relief; at least they weren't giving him any trouble. He shrugged. "Okay, then let's go. Living room."

The kids ran off, and he followed them at a slower pace, retrieving his chips from his coat pocket and fishing for some of the salty snack. He groaned. It was empty.

Dammit.

He moved towards the kitchen door. Thank God Kabuto always had snacks. Even if Chouji was still a bit pissed about his... company. Kabuto was usually so respectable! What was going on that the tall man would cheat on Tayuya? And so riskily, too --

He walked into the kitchen, and stopped short.

Kabuto smiled at him, a hint of ruefulness in the expression. "Hey, Chouji. I hadn't been expecting you and the kids."

The other person in the kitchen let out a soft, irritated snort. He was about Chouji's age, slightly taller and slender to the point of being thin. His hair, eyes and clothes were black, though the clothes were faded. The tears in the jeans were patched up with ragged squares of cloth, and they rode low on pale hips. The t-shirt was more gray than black and had a chipped logo on the front, some kind of cigarette brand. He held a mug in his hands, and Chouji realized that the other teen was determinedly avoiding his gaze.

Kabuto looked like he'd just dressed, and also had a drink next to him on the counter. He didn't seem in any way ashamed, and Chouji realized that he couldn't dislike the man, even with this in front of him. After all, with Tayuya as a wife... who could blame him?

But a boy? That was still a bit confusing. Chouji pushed the though away. "H-hi."

Kabuto gestured casually to the kid beside him. "This is Sasuke."

Chouji nodded. "Hey. I'm Chouji."

The black eyes rose and met his, narrowing slightly. Something red inside them caught the gray light from the window. "You're the babysitter?"

Chouji nodded, stepping towards them. "Yeah. Could I have some snacks, Kabuto?" He could do this, dammit. After all, this wasn't slimy-ass Kidomaro. This was a teenager like him --

HOLY SHIT!

"How old are you?" He blurted out, and knew immediately, from the way that Kabuto tensed and the kid's gaze hardened even further, that the answer wasn't pretty.

"Fifteen." The kid said acidly. He tilted the cup to his lips and drank, then plunked it down on the counter. "I'm leaving."

Chouji watched his eyes cut over to Kabuto, and soften slightly. Kabuto smiled a bit, a different smile than his usual one. It was a rather frightening smile.

Chouji realized what he was about to see, and hurried to the right cupboard, staring into it fixedly and not seeing any of the bright packages of chips and pretzel sticks as clothing shifted behind him and Kabuto said something softly. He didn't turn away from the snacks until he heard the door slam shut. Then he quickly snatched up a bag of chips and turned around.

Kabuto was back at the counter, leaning on it casually and drinking his tea. He glanced over at Chouji, and now he looked a tiny bit chagrined. "Sorry about that. If I'd known that you'd be bringing the kids back over this early, I wouldn't have brought him here."

Chouji managed a nod.

There was a silence for a bit. Chouji opened his chips and began eating. He offered the bag to Kabuto, and the silver-haired man took some. He chewed, swallowed, and asked, "Your parents are divorced, right?"

Chouji tensed. "... Yeah." He didn't like where this was going, at all.

Kabuto didn't say anything else, though. He just nodded and took some more chips. After finishing that handful, he said, "Are you staying for dinner?"

Chouji shrugged. "Only if you don't mind."

The man nodded. "You're welcome to."

"Um... Kabuto?"

"Yes?"

Chouji swallowed chips. "... nevermind." His question hung in the air, though, as loud as the kids' laughter from the living room. _Exactly _as loud.

Kabuto chuckled softly. "Yes, I do."

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Oh, come on. The question is obvious. It's The Question.

Anyway... yeah. So Chouji was my forgotten dude.

All right.

So, **Griever5**... that's who is 'popping up'.

See you all later(hopefully soon)!

Please review!


	25. Chapter 25

Randomness: Rammstein, "Mutter"(This is one seriously scary song... shudder)

Hey all! Here we go!

Took me a while, but ... yeah, it's up now.

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Suit Square

Naruto very rarely went shopping. Unlike Ino and Tenten, he didn't wear lace to work, and his outfit always stayed pretty simple. T-shirt, jeans, sneakers.

Ino and Tenten both had favorite stores that they went to – Tenten a bit reluctantly, she didn't have much patience for shopping – and sort of knew where to get cheap stuff. Naruto didn't. Theoretically he could always ask them, but he really didn't need lingerie and skirts. That kinda wasn't his thing.

So he was pretty much stuck with the big stores.

Naruto despised shopping with every fiber of his fourteen-year-old being. One hour in the big underground mall he always went to – a glittering, neon-lit cavern of blinking shops, stuffy dry air, and greasy food places that lay beneath Suit Square, in the steel bowels of one of the skyscrapers -- , and he'd feel like Ino acted whenever it was her time of the month, the effects of which not even the hormone injection all the female whores got every few months could suppress. He'd snap at anyone whose plastic bags even dared to brush his leg while passing, start sweating suddenly and without warning, and develop a monstrous headache that would vibrate through his sinuses and out toward his temples in a steady pounding beat.

Naruto reached up and rubbed the bridge of his nose, then massaged both temples roughly. The recycled air down here was dry as a desert, and stale. The smell of old frying grease floated over from a sausage stand to his right, and mixed nauseatingly with the scent of perfume from the boutique behind him. The floor was a speckled linoleum, and fake wooden benches with plastic potted plants next to them were placed at regular intervals in front of the stores. A dissonant mixture of different songs and music styles sounded from the closest shops. The lights overhead were a stark yellow neon, casting a greenish sheen on the passerby's faces.

He needed a new jacket; the leather one of the past two years had suddenly and inexplicably developed huge gaping holes in the seams, and was very close to useless. What with the temperature at two-hundred sixty and steadily falling, he needed something new.

So far he'd found exactly zero jackets that even came close to what he was looking for. He had a plastic bag slung over one wrist, cutting into his skin, with a new t-shirt, a pack of condoms – the cheapest and the largest box they had had – and a few new tubes of lube inside. Most of the crew mooched off of Kakashi whenever they ran out of whoring stuff, and Naruto usually did that too. But the drugstore had had sex items on sale, and he'd snatched up what he could among the crowd of housewives and whatnot.

Naruto wanted to leave, _now_. He glared at the sign of the last clothes store he had to check into. It was pick with gold trim. A new trash-rap song was pounding from the shop's speakers, the bass vibrating even outside of the store, up Naruto's legs.

Ugh.

He stepped inside, slipping between one of the two pairs of steel poles that x-rayed every person that came in for weapons and such. The light in here was even brighter, more white than yellow. Racks of clothing stood all around, and Naruto headed straight for the jacket section. He didn't want to spend anymore time here than was necessary.

He looked through the coats, nearly glaring holes into the fabrics. Damn, he wanted to fucking get out of here! Fuck Sasuke – if the other kid had stayed at Whore instead of going off to wherever he always left to, Naruto would have had something to distract himself from the dire need for a new coat. As it had turned out after Sasuke had left, Ino had gotten drunk enough to fall close to unconscious, Tenten had gone to sleep, Kiba and Shino had had a sex session under their blankets, and Shikamaru...

Well, anyway, Naruto had been stuck alone and had decided – against his better judgment – to go shopping.

Leather slithered under his hands, all of a sudden, and he looked down. It was a loose jacket, a brown so dark that it would count as black in the flashing madness of the night on Whore, and was lined with a warm, dark red fleece-imitation.

He found the price tag, and frowned. It was way too expensive, but he had the money, so he took it off the rack and hurried to the cash register. It was hot, dry, and he felt disgusting. The light was too bright and the music too loud. He'd pay, get something to drink for tonight, catch a quick meal at one of the eastern food places, and _go_.

The girl behind the counter was wearing a pink and gold uniform that looked like it had been left in a barrel of starch and forgotten there. Her red hair was teased up into a scraggly bun, and her make-up was just short of two miles thick, great big globs of mascara literally gluing her eyelashes together. She looked up at each customer, muttered something in a monotone, took their money, gave them change, and practically threw a bag with their bought wares at them.

Naruto watched her – there was a long line, and he needed something to take his mind off of his discomfort. At least, in his job, he had some fun times. And there was no real routine; he had regulars, sure, but there were always guys who only came once, or wanted weird things that ended up being really hilarious. And he had friends around him while he was working. All in all, it was a good job.

He paid and got a new plastic bag with the jacket stuffed inside. He left the store and went up to the next level of the mall, to the only food place he ever ate at in here. It was a small, smoky eastern thing, with oily noodles and wilted vegetables. But their ramen was _divine_.

Naruto got himself a bowl of the noodles with miso, and sat down at one of the rickety plastic tables.

He was so busy with his ramen that he didn't notice the man coming closer until he sat down across from him, shaking the table a bit. Naruto looked up, glanced around the 'restaurant', and turned back to the guy.

"There're a lot of free tables, you know." Naruto said. He was irritated, and there was a bit of a growl in his voice.

The man was sort of tall – maybe around Gaara's height, but much bulkier in a muscular way. He had hair so white that it gleamed blue in the smoky air of the room, and his eyes were a murky grayish green – at least, Naruto thought so. He couldn't be sure, what with the miasma of smoke and grease and shit that hung heavy between them.

The dude shrugged, and his lips turned up into a disturbing grin. "I know. But I would _much _rather sit with a pretty boy like you."

Naruto finished his ramen. "Good for you, but _I_ don't really want to sit with _you_." He stood up, and gathered his bags and old jacket. He still had to get some booze to share with the crew, and the ache in his head was growing more pronounced with each passing moment.

The man reached out and caught Naruto's arm just as the kid took his first step away from the table. "Tch, you really have to learn some manners."

What came next happened _way_ too fast for Naruto to react on time. The dude practically stuck his tongue down Naruto's windpipe, and the blonde froze for a second before struggling out of his grasp with all of his strength. The man let him go, and grinned his slimy grin again. "See? You liked it."

Naruto stared at him. "You – _fucker_! What the hell is your problem? Goddamn psycho!"

The man laughed lightly. "Oh really? You think so?" His eyes went weird, narrowing and dilating. "I'm Mizuki, and I know where you live and work. I'll come visit you tonight, how about that?"

"How about _not_. Asshole. Get away from me – let me go, for fuck's sake --" Naruto managed to free his wrist from the guy's grasp. He was fucking scary.

Naruto hurried out of the food place, muttering a pissed-off farewell to the owners. He could feel Mizuki's eyes boring into his back, and an unbidden memory rose to the front of his mind.

The man's gaze felt just like --

The snake-eyed guy's. Like Gaara's, heavy – but slimy and dirty in a way that the redhead's stare never achieved.

Naruto shivered, just the slightest bit, before pushing the memory away – he'd already finished with those thoughts and images long ago – and moving towards the liquor store.

Fuck. He wanted Gaara. Maybe he'd leave work early today.

°

In the absence of any sun, the sky was simply and swiftly darkening form a gray-blue to a black-blue. A few stars shone up in the darkness, and the moon was a weak little slice of misery. It wasn't late enough for the whores to start working, and the cold kept them under their blankets and in their many layers of clothing.

Tenten's scratchy throat had developed into a full-blown cough, and she knocked back some of the few gulps still left in Ino's vodka bottle. The blonde girl was snuggled up close, her body curled around Tenten's and her mouth half-open in sleep.

Tenten snorted inwardly. Sleep. More like coma.

The blonde girl had downed three-quarters of the bottle within ten minutes, and had gone out like a light right afterwards... she'd been muttering something about cold and Russians and home remedies. Maggots had also made an appearance.

Tenten pulled her blanket a bit tighter around herself. Sasuke and Naruto were both gone, Naruto shopping and Sasuke who-knew-where. Shino and Kiba were talking – well, Kiba was – in their nest. The Konoha was quiet, what with Kakashi at Iruka's. The signs blinked and glowed forlornly.

Shikamaru was lying as always. He looked healthier now, his paleness receded a bit and his eyes no longer as bright. Tenten looked past him onto the street, where the dry cold lay like a heavy invisible blanket. The wind was still there, icy and hard.

She could vaguely hear the trannies laughing about a joke down the Street, coughing interrupting some in their merriment. Damn, the cold hadn't started this early the year before --

The scratch in her throat built up to an unavoidable irritation, and she covered her mouth with one hand in order to cough. Her head fell forward a bit, and her ribcage ached after each new spasm.

Fucking hell! Damn weather!

What had Temari said... something about this year being a repeat of another year, like fifty years ago? Something with the weather system screw-up, the programming and some loop of repetition --

Tenten hadn't understood half of it, but she liked to hear the woman talk – she had a biting, slanted way of saying things, and her voice was sharp and angry, the sound of the wind that was slicing through Tenten's clothes and digging into her skin.

They didn't meet that often. On the weekends, usually, and sometimes on Wednesdays. They'd cook something together – Tenten would, actually; Temari was completely clueless in the kitchen – and talk about stupid stuff while watching virtvision. Then they'd go to bed.

It was a casual like and lust that made Tenten's heart go kind of warm whenever she thought of it. Temari wasn't big on sweetness and niceties, and Tenten would rather die than turn into a lovey-dovey little attention-slut. They had friendship, maybe a bit more, it was a comfortable thing. No weird long silences that begged to be filled, no fights – up till now -- , no stress.

The blanket got adjusted again, and Tenten let out another few coughs. Another sip of vodka slithered sharp down her throat.

She looked down the sidewalk, and saw Sasuke moving towards the Konoha. The kid was dressed warm as he'd been when he'd left, and there was a cigarette in one hand. His left.

He stepped under the awning, nodding to her. Tenten said hi before doubling over in another coughing fit.

She raised her head afterwards, her eyes tearing up and her lungs screaming their anger at her, and looked straight into a bottle of clear, viscous blue liquid.

"What's that?"

Sasuke took a drag of his cigarette and moved the bottle towards her hand. "Medicine."

His voice sounded much better than it had in the morning, Tenten realized. She took the bottle, and Sasuke flipped her a spoon. Not any old plastic thing, but a real cutlery spoon, the kind that belonged in a real kitchen. "Take two."

Tenten looked at the medicine sceptically before nodding and unscrewing the cap. "Thanks. Do you want vodka?"

Sasuke glanced at the bottle, and shrugged. He tilted it back and swallowed a substantial gulp.

Tenten swallowed the first spoonful of the medicine, wrinkling her nose at the artificially sweet taste. Bubblegum?

She watched Sasuke put the bottle down. Something was different about him --

The other kid turned his head a bit and took another drag of his cigarette, and Tenten realized what it was.

He wasn't wearing his little half-smile.

"Uh – Sasuke? Is something wrong?"

Sasuke started a bit, and turned to her. His skin was pallid in the gray air, and the weird swirls in his eyes were moving jerkily. The cigarette hung from his lips. He was squatting, his forearms resting on his thighs and his hands relaxed between them.

Tenten swallowed the second spoonful. Ooh, that felt good. Calming. She studied Sasuke again, and said, "Just – you know, you seem kind of unhappy." Ew. She sounded like some kind of bad virtcom actress.

Sasuke shrugged and finished his cig. "Were your parents married?"

Tenten barely kept her jaw from cracking open on the sidewalk. Sasuke – asking – a personal question!

She watched a steel-toed boot grind out the cigarette butt, and answered, "Yeah. They separated the year before I left. Yours?"

Sasuke didn't make any sort of reply. Instead, he asked, "Did you leave because they separated?"

Tenten shook her head, a little bitter grin spreading on her lips despite all her efforts to keep it away. "Nah. My dad got a bit touchy-feely."

Sasuke nodded and got up. He moved to where Naruto and his mattress lay, and lay down.

Tenten stared after him, her throat feeling smooth and no longer hurting.

That had been fucking weird.

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Erm. Yeah. Anyway.

I kinda like this chap...

So. Please review, dudes!

Randomness: Rammstein, "Mein Herz Brennt."


	26. Chapter 26

Yo.

Randomness: Rammstein, "Sonne".

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Suit Square

"Kakashi, I've got to go to work. Promise me you'll --"

"-- Stay in bed, drink tea, eat soup. I know, Iruka, I know."

Iruka picked his keys up from the kitchen counter, drinking the last of his coffee. He left the kitchen and moved through the living room to where his coat and shock-gun lay on the dark green armchair. Kakashi was lying on the matching couch across from the chair, under a brown blanket. His shock of silver hair was mussed, and his nose red.

Pale gray morning light was streaming in from the windows. Iruka checked his watch. "Shit."

He gave Kakashi a hurried peck on the cheek, holstered his shock-gun, slipped on his coat, and was out the door. The stairwell was freezing cold, and Iruka guessed that the temperature had gone down to the two-hundred fifties outside again. He cursed his decision to go on taking the bus instead of asking for a car from the Force.

Iruka let himself out of the building, bracing himself against the wall of icy cold that slammed into him. It was _cold._

The early morning rush hour was on, and he joined the passerby in their trek towards the end of the street. The Konoha blinked and flashed in the grainy pale light, the kids all asleep except for Shikamaru. They were huddled under their blankets.

Irukla had wanted to offer them to sleep at his place, but Kakashi had told him not to. The kids had their own kind of pride.

The months since the Sandman-drama had been both very good and very bad. Good was, first of all – Kakashi had agreed to a date. And more. Then, of course, Iruka had gotten a promotion for getting the boy-killer. Naruto had healed. The Konoha had gone back to normal.

On the other hand, Gaara hadn't turned up again. Iruka's superiors weren't really _looking_ for the Sandman. They had him in the buzz database, and he was supposed to be arrested on sight. But there was no real search going on. Not that a search would have helped any.

The Sandman had been quietly deleted from the CiJail files, his few belongings sent to wherever, and his name had entered the buzz data. Period. Technically, Iruka could simply forget about it.

He kind of had, too. But now and then, when he saw Naruto, he got worried again. From Naruto's happiness and frequent absence from Whore, it was pretty obvious that he still had something with Gaara. And Iruka liked Naruto a lot, so he worried.

He just kind of... wanted to know for sure that Gaara wasn't going crazy on the blonde kid.

Iruka rubbed the scar on his nose, got into the warm stuffy bus along with twenty others, and checked his watch for his morning appointments. Routine, routine, routine.

Not bad, actually. At least he'd be warm.

°

Naruto hurt all over. And not in a good way.

Mizuki had showed up on Whore after all, and Naruto had gotten into his car before even recognizing him – the asshole seemed to have some kind of talent for hiding himself. He'd had his fun with Naruto in a very thorough way that included a few of his friends, who'd been sitting in the backseat.

All in all, it hadn't been a pleasant hour. And then Naruto had still had to go to the Arcade to wash up. The bathroom had been freezing cold, someone had left the windows open, and the water had been half-frozen in the pipes. He'd hurried up with the washing, and then made his way to Gaara's.

_Gaara _had seemed as if his day hadn't gone much better than Naruto's, and it hadn't helped that Naruto's hurried clean-up at the Arcade hadn't been up to the redhead's standards.

So no, Naruto wasn't feeling all that great. The Gaara-induced pain was all right, on its own it might even have been nice, but the shit from Mizuki made him feel nothing but dirty.

He was making coffee. It was pretty cold in the kitchen, unlike the warmth of the bedroom, and he shivered under Gaara's sweatshirt.

Gaara was sitting at the table, his eyes focused hard and taut on Naruto's back. He hadn't spoken in the night, angry and annoyed about more than just Naruto's slip-up. He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and jeans, one arm loose over the back of the chair and the hand of the other hooked into his belt loops.

Naruto hadn't spoken about Mizuki. With Gaara in a mood like this, talking about some other guy – a client on top of that! -- was pretty much suicidal.

He got the coffee done and dumped sugar and milk into his mug, giving Gaara his own cup. The redhead took it without acknowledging Naruto.

The blonde leaned against the counter and looked away from Gaara, not sure what to do. Silence was normal, but it was rarely as uncomfortable as it was just then. Usually Naruto could fill it easily with chatter. But Gaara was so – angry --

He drank some of his coffee. "Gaara?"

The green eyes slammed into him.

"I... what's wrong? I mean, you've been cold all night – not that you're not cold usually, but you know what I me--" Naruto stopped himself before he rode himself even deeper into shit.

Gaara stared at him. Naruto shivered the tiniest bit. The Sandman's eyes weren't ice yet, but they weren't the normal green either. They were a clear, cold turquoise.

Naruto wasn't expecting an answer beyond one of Gaara's attacks – or maybe even real violence. After all, Gaara had been acting positively vicious all night long.

The blonde cursed himself for his big mouth. He hadn't ever planned on dying in a kitchen. A back alley, okay. But a kitchen? That had a distinct feeling of 'house wife death'.

It took all of his self-control not to run for the door when Gaara, his eyes still that unfamiliar bluish-green, stood and was suddenly _right_ in front of him. When Gaara lowered his head to Naruto's, he let out a tiny sigh of relief. Just biting – that was _more _than fine with him. It looked as though Gaara hadn't minded his question --

"Mmmph!"

Wow.

Okay.

Gaara bit Naruto, cut Naruto, caressed him(sometimes), hit him, fucked him... but he never, _ever_ kissed him. There had been one kiss, and Naruto had started it.

So what the fuck was this? Why the hell --

The last thinking part of Naruto's mind seemed to dissolve, and he just opened his mouth a bit wider to let Gaara go on. The redhead was pushing him back against the counter now, one hand tight in Naruto's hair and the other holding him close in an iron grip.

Gaara's mouth was hot over his own, their tongues sliding along each other. Naruto had recovered from his original shock by now, and he felt as though he'd taken some of Ino's little blue pills. The air was cold on his legs and the tiles chilled his feet, but there was heat coiling tight and hard in the small of his back, spasming through him with each shift of their bodies.

Gaara ended the kiss suddenly, his teeth finding Naruto's collarbone and attacking with a vengeance. The hand in Naruto's hair tightened further, pulling his head back and baring his neck. Naruto gasped and bit his lip on a cry of mingled shock and pleasure.

The arm around him disappeared, and Naruto vaguely heard the sound of an opening drawer. He gasped again, Gaara's hips grinding into him violently. His hands were clawing at Gaara's back, his breathing broken sobs.

The back of his loose sweater was pushed up, and jagged metal slid up his spine, snagging on his skin and leaving hotly burning rips in its wake. A whimper of pleasure at the first feeling of icy steel, then --

"Gaara!"

The redhead's teeth bit down harder on his collarbone, before sinking into his shoulder, the sweatshirt alternately pushed down and up. The rough fabric of Gaara's jeans thrust itself against Naruto, and he spread his legs, trying to keep his balance and still offer --

"_Gaara_, please..."

The redhead snarled against his flesh, sounding desperate, and Naruto arched as another thrust of jean-clad hips slammed him into the counter. The knife had reached his shoulderblades, slicing long gashes in a fiery dance of cold on flesh.

Gaara released him, his eyes dark with sex and a small smear of blood on his lower lip. The knife disappeared, Naruto moaning in loss until it reappeared, set icy at his throat. He watched, frozen, as Gaara's eyes darkened further and his free hand slid around to grip the small of Naruto's back, where blood felt warm and slick from burning cuts and heat and pleasure were pulsing hard and fast.

Gaara pressed forward, the knife sharp and dangerous on Naruto's skin. He slid it down, the jagged teeth of the blade hooking into Naruto's skin. Fear and need were a heady mixture inside him, adrenaline rushing through his veins. He was trembling.

The knife reached the sweater's collar, and left the blonde's body once more. Gaara unbuttoned his jeans, the hand on Naruto's back sliding down --

Naruto gasped and spread his legs wider.

The knife returned to his throat and pressed into the skin just enough to break it. Naruto whimpered. "Gaara --"

The redhead thrust against him, the hand behind him moving to his inner thigh and lifting it up. In one fluid motion, Gaara pressed into him and thrust _up_.

"_Gaara!_"

Gaara snarled breathlessly into his ear, the knife leaving his throat. The hand on his thigh was rough and bruising, Naruto heard the knife fall onto the counter. His hands tightened on Gaara's shoulders, and his eyes clung desperately to the redhead's face.

Gaara's eyes were dilated, dark and nearly liquid. They glared into Naruto's. The scar on his forehead gleamed in the cold light, he was growling softly with each hard thrust.

Naruto buried his face in Gaara's chest, panting and whimpering. His hips rocked with each savage fiery stroke of Gaara's cock, and he arched with them, trying to rub his own aching erection against the soft cloth of the redhead's shirt.

He burned inside, stretched and torn, and silky steel pounded into him, striking something soft and yielding within him that sent shivery waves of bliss through his body, the fire in his body growing tighter and hotter and brighter --

He was sobbing Gaara's name brokenly, and the redhead's hand was digging into his thigh, husky growls in his ear and teeth latched onto his earlobe --

There were too many sensations, Naruto's body snapping taut as Gaara thrust into him hard enough to make his legs give out. His muscles were tight and tense, his back arched and his hands fisting in Gaara's shirt. He screamed something into the firm warmth of Gaara's chest, heat flooding his veins and white bright light exploding behind his eyes.

Gaara snarled, his hands gripping Naruto's hips. He thrust savagely, hard and rough and --

"Naruto --"

The blonde moaned softly in pleasure. Gaara had said his name --

The redhead relaxed, his hands leaving Naruto to lean on the counter as he pulled out of the teen. Naruto bit his lip to keep back his whimper of discomfort.

Gaara buttoned his jeans and looked at him. His breathing was barely ragged.

Naruto caught his breath after a while. It was cold, and he pulled the sweatshirt close. There was slippery liquid on his inner thighs and stomach.

He met Gaara's eyes. "... does that mean that you're less pissed?"

Gaara stepped close and said, almost smiling, "No."

Naruto scowled. "What do you mean?"

Gaara was too close. Naruto could barely think --

"Stop working."

Naruto's eyes went very, very wide.

°

Tenten had truly beautiful hair.

Sasuke watched her brush it with a kind of fascination. He rarely saw it open; she usually had it up in her buns, after all. It hung to her waist in a gleaming mass, and made her look very pale when it was open.

Tenten used a small plastic brush for it, something that looked like it had come from a doll shop. She was deeply concentrated on her task. Sasuke watched her, smoking.

Shikamaru seemed to be truly sleeping, getting rid of the after-effects of his fever. Shino and Kiba had left to get sweets from Nom Street, bundled up in their extra clothes and with Akamaru shivering between them. Ino was at the Arcade. The Konoha was closed, what with Kakashi at Iruka's.

It was even colder today, and Sasuke was huddled in two sweatshirts, a t-shirt, his leather jacket, jeans, and his boots with two pairs of socks. His medicine stood between him and Tenten; both their coughs had gotten better with the stuff.

He was pissed at himself, and at Kabuto.

Okay, so they had gone to his house.

But – the babysitter. The way his eyes had gone all strange when he saw Sasuke, as if he knew everything that was going on – maybe he did? Fuck Kabuto! -- , the way he'd asked Sasuke's age and Kabuto had looked sorry for it --

He had looked _sorry _for it.

Sasuke had needed to leave after that; Kabuto had given him the next appointment, but he was just so angry...

Fuck.

"Uh – Sasuke?"

He started out of his thoughts. Tenten was looking at him, puzzlement on her face. "What?"

The girl shrugged. "You were staring at me."

Sasuke took a drag of his cigarette. What would he have done if his parents had separated? Probably nothing much.

But in a family like that ...

Thank God that he hadn't met Kabuto's kids. If he had, he'd be feeling like the purest piece of shit --

Why should he care? It was their business to deal with their dad's choice of bedpartners, and their mother's --

Their _mother's_. The mother _also _had lovers and whatnot.

What if Kabuto... Kabuto could be mean, liked being mean. What if he was just fucking around to piss his wife off?

Sasuke took another drag of his cig.

Fuck, it was cold and he didn't want to think about this anymore!

"Hey, Sasuke?" Tenten was still brushing her hair.

"Hn."

"What's up? You still haven't answered me, and you don't look much better than yesterday."

Fuck. Since when was he so transparent? "What do I look like then?" It came out angrier than it had meant.

Tenten wasn't fazed. She shrugged a slim shoulder and began to put her hair up with black plastic pins. "You look like you've had a fight with whoever you've been happy about for all these weeks."

Sasuke felt like someone had hit him with a sledgehammer. How fucking easy _was_ it to see through him?

Tenten finished twisting one bun up and started wrapping it in a length of pale blue cloth. The cord to secure the cloth, a metallic red, hung between her fingers as she worked. "You know, I've gotten used to you being all happy. You should really make up with them."

Sasuke finished his cigarette and watched her tie the bun off. She started on the second. "Hn." That was easier said than done...

"They have someone else?" Tenten's eyes met his, frank and cool. "Get rid of them then. You've been moping for so long, we were all kinda glad to see you be nice sometimes."

Sasuke stood up, scuffing the cig out. Tenten finished her hair.

It was cold.

He turned towards the bus stop. It was one in the afternoon. Kabuto would still be at MR.

He was really doing some crazy shit these days.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Okay, two parallel cliffies... gah, don't kill me now.

How'd you like it?

Please review!


	27. Chapter 27

Heyheyhey!

Randomness: Nirvana, "Serve the Servants".

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Suit Square

"Hey, Kabuto – what do you think of this? The circuits are... burnt through."

Kabuto stood from his desk and crossed around to his neighbor's. "How'd the Testing Department manage that?"

Sakon's monitor showed a mangled mess of a robotic limb. Circuits, diodes and sensors were twisted and melted over strips of metal and rubber. The slender, silver-haired man grinned wryly. "Sometimes I wonder what they _do _to the poor robots."

Kabuto shrugged. "Drop antimatter bombs on them."

Sakon laughed and typed in a few commands. The mangled mess of metal and plastic disappeared and was replaced by lines of code. Kabuto sat back down at his own computer, staring at the columns of numbers and commands on his own screen.

He shared a long, narrow room with five other programmers/customer service people. They all spent most of their time programming, and only rarely got calls from customers that needed to know more technical stuff than the front desk could give them. The room was white, with one wall of tinted windows and a neutral gray carpet. The pale door to the main corridor of their department was always closed.

Three pairs of desks stood arranged in islands in the center of the room. They had a small table against one wall that held the coffee machine, a few snacks now and then, and water. Coffee was basically their main source of energy here.

Kabuto glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was quarter after one; he only had another hour to go. He sighed inwardly and typed in another bar of code.

When Chouji had walked into the kitchen the day before, it had been even more shocking than the experience of seeing his children in places where he'd had sex with Sasuke. Kabuto associated Chouji with his children, and Chouji meeting Sasuke... it had been frightening.

He stared at the numbers glowing back at him from the screen.

Frightening, because Kabuto had gotten _angry_.

Kabuto rarely got truly angry, and when he did, he became... dangerous. Very much so. And the fact that he had had to act ashamed about Sasuke had made him furious. And what had come after that feeling had been even worse.

He hadn't _cared_ – whether Tayuya knew, whether he got angry enough to... do whatever, whether Aki or Tsume knew. It had been scary because of the unspoken question that Chouji had asked, Kabuto had answered and that had made Chouji grin.

He adjusted his glasses and typed more commands.

He hadn't actually thought about his feelings for Sasuke much before Chouji had asked him. But the reply had been instinctive and honest.

Of course, there had been the long warm night of sex and beer and off-topic conversations about insignificant, heartwarming things that distracted them from what they were doing and why they shouldn't be doing it --

Sasuke's eyes had been warm in the dim glow of the rooms then, warmer than Kabuto had seen them before, and he'd spoken often in the dark. As the sun had risen slowly and Sasuke had slept beside him, Kabuto had let himself believe that he liked... loved... the pale sarcastic kid lying next to him on the rumpled sheets.

The thought had disappeared with the last darkness, and he had avoided it until Chouji's inquiry yesterday.

His fingers moved over his keyboard, spelling out a few lines of complete gibberish as he brooded over the confrontation in the kitchen.

Sasuke had seemed angry when he'd left, turning away from Kabuto and barely acknowledging the man's offer for the next meeting. The red in his eyes had been faded, an old tired crimson that had worried Kabuto.

Sasuke's eyes... they had become an obsession of sorts for Kabuto.

Kabuto sat back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair, staring unseeingly at his screen. The room was filled with the clacking and scraping of keyboards and mouses, and the bright, irritating neon light overhead bit into his eyes. His desk was sparsely decorated; a notepad, pens, a phone, his coffee mug. Sakon had taped a scrap of paper to the side of Kabuto's flat monitor, the silver-haired man's spidery scrawl in a neon pink on the yellow paper; _The truth is out there? Does anyone know the URL?_

He leaned forward again, settling his fingers on the cool plastic of his keyboard, in the familiar positions; forefinger on that letter, thumbs on the space bar --

The Cyrillic symbols were taped onto the keys – cheap, their keyboards were restored cast-offs from the Western branch of MR, and the Western writing was still on the keys below the tape -- , he could feel each letter beneath his fingertips. He felt for the symbols that would spell Sasuke's name. It was far Eastern, he guessed. The State had swallowed up many countries in its birth.

Kabuto typed Sasuke's name into the code. He stared at it for a bit, then highlighted it and the strings of gibberish he'd typed before, and deleted them with one determined keystroke.

Fuck.

Sakon was humming a repetitive tune, his earphones settled snugly over his head. It sounded like some of the mod-techno that ruled the clubs these nights, hard and fast.

Kabuto tried to concentrate, managing two more lines of commands before giving up and reaching for a pen. He tapped it on his desk. Nervous energy.

For a lack of something better to do, he snagged his coffee mug and went to the coffee machine, pouring himself some of the black liquid and adding a dribble of cream.

He returned to his desk and sipped at the lukewarm drink.

Tayuya. Why had he married her in the first place, beside the obvious reason of wanting to... be different?

She had been something new, wild, coarse. And beautiful in an exotic, crazy way. She'd had a biting sense of humor, vicious. He'd liked it at the time, not realizing that he was fair game for her malicious mind games.

No, he hadn't realized. And somehow, they'd gotten drunk, she had offered her hand, and they had gotten married a few days later.

Aki had been born a year later, and Tayuya became even more short-tempered, spending more time outside the house. It hadn't taken long for her to get more brazen, and turn up late at night stinking of drink and worse. Kabuto couldn't be bothered with confronting her; he had better things to do, watch his son learn to walk and talk, think about the solution to the newest programming problem, enjoy his quiet evenings alone with Aki, music and brandy --

So their marriage had deteriorated into a kind of roommate situation.

Tsume had been the result of an early return home on Tayuya's part and a few drinks too many on Kabuto's. If anything, her birth made Tayuya even more irritable. Kabuto ignored his wife as he had before, and Tsume joined him in his long comfortable evenings. His few sexual escapades took place right after work, in dingy bars and motels with quiet, cynical women who laughed at the same bitter jokes that he did and smoked long pale cigarettes with sherry, their secrets the same hard cold ball inside them as they kissed on the faded sheets.

Sasuke had been a complete break from it all. His cigarettes were short, brown and cheap, his alcohol was beer and knife-sharp vodka, and his secrets were a black liquid knot that poured out of his eyes and burned furiously hot. He wasn't quiet; he was _silent_, made a physical effort to be impenetrable and not talk beyond what was absolutely necessary. And he had slept in Kabuto's bed, wrapped around him with his lips soft on Kabuto's skin.

He'd looked intriguing, alone in the hall of the virtcinema with his packages of snacks and his cool green beer. Kabuto hadn't thought much of it, though his mind had come back to the image of midnight black hair and eyes under the bright light of the cinema's corridor often that day. His drive through Whore Street had been pure coincidence, they had run out of a few things at home and he had gone out to buy more late at night, to make himself a late anti-Tayuya-stress snack --

Pure coincidence that he had seen midnight hair and gray curling smoke among the bright shocking lights with pink glowing on ripped jeans and pale smooth skin --

Well, the rest had just... happened.

Kabuto glanced at the clock again. Then he looked at the code on his screen, and made himself continue.

Sakon was still humming, the sound of clacking keys was still ringing through the room. He managed to immerse himself in the numbers and symbols of the program.

The ringing shocked him, harsh and discordant.

He stared at his phone, still startled. Shit, that had been sudden. After two more rings he had managed to shake the last &'s and 's from his mind, and picked up the phone. He _hated _customer service... "Yes?"

"Here's the lobby. There's someone to see you here. Should I send them up?"

Someone to see him? Shit, was it Tayuya? "No! I'll come down."

"Okay."

Kabuto listened to the disconnect sound for a few seconds before standing up and crossing to the door. Sakon gave him a confused but cheery wave.

Why would Tayuya come here? She didn't talk to him unless she _really _had to.

The corridor that belonged to his department, Development, was white linoleum and walls under neon bars. It was deserted. He walked to the elevator at the end of the hall, and pressed the button for the carriage.

The elevator doors hissed open, and he stepped in. Empty.

Around noon, MR felt like a graveyard.

The doors opened to the lobby, a massive glass and steel room that was all revolving doors at one side and all elevators at the other. The side walls were plain glass. Outside, the curb was gray and cracked in the cold, and the traffic was going fluidly.

There was a tall white counter at the center of the lobby, where the receptionist sat. The receptionist was a young man of average height and build with short-cropped red hair, and always ate a lot. He spent most of his time on the Ultranet.

The man looked up when Kabuto stepped out of the elevator. "Oh, there you are. He's waiting in the corner there."

He?

Kabuto looked over to where the man had gestured oh-so-reluctantly.

Sasuke was staring out at the street, wearing his coat and fiddling with his pockets in the way he always did when he wanted to smoke. He glanced up at Kabuto, then back out at the street.

Kabuto moved to him. The receptionist was opening something to eat; the plastic crackled in the background, over the whirring sound of the heating.

Sasuke's eyes moved up again, settling on a spot somewhere above Kabuto's right ear. He didn't say anything.

The receptionist's food package crackled.

Sasuke was wearing two black sweatshirts, loose at the collar and exposing smooth pale skin. His collarbones were sharply defined in the pale light falling in from outside; the lobby was rather dark.

Crackle.

The kid's jeans were tight and black, faded on the thighs. His boots looked out of place on the tiled floor.

Crackle.

His hair was messy, from the wind no doubt. His cheeks were barely flushed, the slightest hint of color splashed over his high pale cheekbones. His lips were slightly parted, and Kabuto wondered whether the cough had gotten better.

Crackle.

Sasuke's eyes were utterly, completely black. There wasn't even a spark of red inside them. His eyebrows were furrowed slightly, in an expression somewhere between anger and nervousness. Well, expression was relative.

Crackle.

Kabuto _needed_ to break the silence. "What--"

Sasuke started, "We--"

They both stopped short, and Kabuto laughed a bit. Sasuke's lips twitched.

Kabuto felt steadier now. "So, what did you want to see me about?"

Sasuke shrugged, and his midnight gaze slid to the floor, "Tch, I just--"

Crackle.

Both of them turned and leveled the receptionist with a glare. The man's eyes widened, and he took the next chip _very_ carefully.

Kabuto turned back to Sasuke. "You just?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, and red flashed in them for a split second as he said, "I want to know something."

Kabuto smiled a bit. Sasuke looked so... determined. "What?"

The kid glared up at him. "Stop smiling like that."

Kabuto laughed softly. "Okay." He smoothed the smile off of his lips. "What do you want to know?"

Sasuke looked nervous now, and uncomfortable. It wasn't obvious; Kabuto could pick it out from the slight shifting of his weight from foot to foot, the way his eyes never seemed to truly meet Kabuto's. Someone who didn't know Sasuke wouldn't have noticed.

The teen's eyes were unnerving in their darkness. "Tch. I just want to _know_."

Kabuto's eyes widened, and he held back a smile again. Sasuke didn't want to say it out loud.

That was fine with him... he was good at reading things from silence, by now. "Only if you tell me, too."

Sasuke shifted noticeably this time, and red flashed in his eyes. "Tch!"

Kabuto smiled almost fully. "Well?"

This seemed so childish.

Sasuke's left hand rose to his mouth in his smoker's gesture, and he hissed audibly when he realized he had no cigarette in hand. He was glaring holes into the floor. "... Yes."

Kabuto wanted to savor this, even if that little word set off a whole storm inside him. "What yes?"

Sasuke glared. "Fuck you! What about you?"

Kabuto really, really wanted to kiss him. The red wheels were back, spinning slowly on darkness. The pale light slanted over the kid's hair and cut a bright swath over his pale skin and dark clothes. His expression was cold and closed, but there was a distinctive snarl to the set of his thin lips.

Sasuke fiddled with his pockets. "Tch. I'm leaving."

Kabuto shook his head, secure in his knowledge. "No you're not."

Black and red cut to him, fierce and stone-hard. "Fuck you."

"Gladly." Kabuto didn't really know when he pulled him close, or when their lips actually met fully. But a few seconds later at the most, they were kissing.

_CRACKLE_.

Sasuke broke away from him, and Kabuto looked over at the receptionist. The man was staring at them, his hand still in the chip bag. Kabuto bit back a laugh and pulled Sasuke behind him. "Come on."

Sasuke nearly stumbled over his own feet. "Fuck!"

Kabuto was pretty sure that Tayuya would be home just now.

°

Sasuke took the first drag of his cigarette, sighing inwardly in pleasure. That fucked up receptionist hadn't let him smoke and he'd had to wait a fucking long time until Kabuto had come down --

He glanced over. Kabuto was driving, concentrating on the street. His glasses were flashing from time to time, his hair loose in its ponytail. His muscles were relaxed under his suit, and he was holding the steering wheel with one hand. The other was tangled in Sasuke's hair.

He still hadn't answered Sasuke's... question.

Sasuke had gone to MR with absolutely no idea of what he actually wanted from Kabuto, and as a result the meeting had been pretty pathetic. And in the end _he'd _been the one to say whether he lov – whether he _did_ or not.

He sucked. And the voice was really, really quiet these days... yesterday it hadn't put its two cents in at all, and today it had only said something once, when Tenten had come with her pep-talk. It had agreed and all, and Sasuke, to his chagrin, had obeyed them both... fuck.

They looked to be on the way to Kabuto's place; the shops and buildings were getting nicer and more respectable. And Sasuke could, by now, sort of remember the route to Kabuto's by car.

Fuck.

He'd just told Kabuto that he loved him.

Fuck!

And now what?

Kabuto hadn't said anything back!

Sasuke didn't know all that much about romance, but he was pretty sure that a love declaration needed an answer.

He took a deep drag of his cig, swallowed, exhaled, and turned to Kabuto. "Answer."

Kabuto glanced at him, and there was silence for a while.

Sasuke smoked.

Kabuto's hand tightened in his hair, slid to cup the back of his neck. Warm. "Of course I do."

Sasuke smoked, unable to stop his trembling. Fuck it all. He was so pathetic! Trembling! All because Kabuto had said that – had said that – _had said that _--

He bit his lip, just a little, and leaned forward to grind the cig out in the car's ashtray. The weight of Kabuto's hand left his neck.

The trembling was getting better, slowly.

He stared out at the street; they were driving past clothes stores, a bookstore, apartment buildings --

"Oh." He managed.

Kabuto laughed. It was a real laugh, not really loud, but extreme for Kabuto.

Sasuke hissed an insult, and Kabuto pulled him close. "Dammit, Sasuke."

The kid rested his forehead against Kabuto's chest until the man let him go.

Okay, so he sucked.

Big deal.

They were in the suburbs by now. Kabuto took a left turn, a right, and then two lefts. Sasuke didn't see _any _difference between the houses, but Kabuto always seemed to know the way around.

Sasuke didn't recognize the house, either; he knew the garage, the lawn, the dead plants on the doorstep, but not the monstrous pink car in the driveway. He started a bit when Kabuto parked right behind the ugly vehicle.

Another car. Kabuto's... wife?

Sasuke froze. "Wait a sec -- Kabuto!"

The man just gave him a wicked grin and got out of the car.

Sasuke cursed under his breath and got out, lighting a new cig. The cold hit him hard, and he cursed again around the cigarette. It was _freezing_.

He followed Kabuto around the pink car. The man gave him a muttered, "Don't ask,".

Up the steps and in the door.

Sasuke looked at the stoop; there were kid's shoes; he knew those from yesterday. And the babysitter's shoes, extra-wide --

And a pair of tall, gleaming beige boots.

Oh fuck.

"Kabuto!" He hissed, not moving to take his shoes off. He'd wanted an answer, not --

"Come on, Sasuke." Kabuto had already slipped off his shoes and was hanging up his coat. He looked at Sasuke, and Sasuke glared.

He took his boots off.

There were noises coming from the living room; laughter, a bass rumble – the babysitter's. There was no woman's voice. Sasuke glanced at Kabuto.

The man was looking at the kitchen doorway, a tiny furrow between his eyebrows. He beckoned to Sasuke, and walked in. Sasuke almost ran after him, not wanting to lose him out of his sight – alone, with the babysitter at home, and the kids! And the wife! _Fuck no_!

He stopped short right after entering the room, and took a deep drag of his cig.

Sasuke had imagined a sort of fat, unhappy and bitchy ogre. Of course that made no sense, but he could hope, couldn't he...?

The woman at the counter, drinking from a champagne flute, was taller than he was, and slender. Her skin was an artificial golden brown, her eyes a wicked green(A/N: Not sure about this one...). She was wearing a short, tight pink minidress that matched the magenta color of her mussed hair. Her legs were long and shapely, her lips were lipsticked a neon pink, and there was a golden ring on her left hand.

Sasuke hurt a bit when he saw the ring. Kabuto didn't usually wear his ring when he was around, but just now Sasuke could see it, winking in the pallid light from the window.

Kabuto was standing in front of him by a bit, and Sasuke leaned against the doorframe, composing his expression. Tayuya's eyes were on Kabuto, anyway.

Kabuto smiled coldly. "Hey, Tayuya. I want you to meet someone."

Tayuya's eyebrows furrowed, and she snarled, "I don't want to meet your shitty whore, you asshole! Get her the fuck out of here! Fucking _now_!"

Sasuke's mouth dropped open around his cigarette. Not because of the swearing. Hell, he had a dirty mouth, too. At least mentally.

'Get _her _out of here'?

_HER?_

Kabuto was laughing softly, gloatingly. "Tayuya, I think you've drunk a bit too much, if you think that Sasuke is--"

"Kabuto, shut up." Sasuke said, gritting his teeth.

HER?

Sasuke Uchiha did _not _look like a girl, thank you very much!

Oooh, the bitch was going to _pay_.

°

Chouji had been doing puzzles with the children when he heard the door open. He'd continued putting the pieces together, helping Aki find the ear of his tiger picture.

He'd heard Tayuya's raucous voice – she had gotten into the champagne even earlier than usual today – next, and had moved into the corridor, leaving the children to their games with strict instructions to stay in the living room. Then he'd stepped to the kitchen doorway, and now he was watching...

He really didn't know, what.

Kabuto was there, and Tayuya. The kid from yesterday, wearing black and smoking.

Tayuya and the kid were insulting each other in very low, very deadly voices. Kabuto was watching them with an expression somewhere between worry and amusement.

The light fell over all three of them, pale and sickly. Tayuya's hand was white-knuckled aorund her glass of champagne as she hissed, "So you're the one sleeping with my husband? I'd expected more."

Sasuke just smiled tightly. "I had, as well. I mean, aren't you the one who's sleeping around the clubs every night? Surely someone like that should be in some way pretty."

Tayuya's eyebrows drew together. "You little _brat_."

"That was a weak insult."

"Just fuck you."

"Tch."

Kabuto caught Chouji's eye and smiled a bit, ruefully. Chouji just gave him a very puzzled look.

Tayuya suddenly turned to Kabuto. "And you, you piece of shit! Fuck you, bringing your little slut over here! The kids are here, what are you fucking thinking? They don't need to know shit like this!"

Kabuto's smile disappeared. "You don't seem to mind bringing Kidomaro over, Tayuya. I don't see any reason why the children shouldn't meet Sasuke."

That set off an explosion.

Sasuke said, "Wait – what? The _fuck_, Kabuto?"

Tayuya screeched, "You asshole! How dare you act as if it's fucking okay for you to bring your shitty fucktoy here!"

The man looked at Sasuke. "What? I think my kids should meet you."

Sasuke finished the cigarette in his hand and tossed into the sink. "Tch."

Tayuya ranted, "Well,I don't fucking think the kids should fucking meet him! They even fucking haven't met Kidomaro!"

"Only because Chouji keeps them from seeing him. And, more importantly – Sasuke is more to me than Kidomaro is to you."

There was silence.

Chouji watched as Sasuke started trembling. The other teen fished a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it carefully. His eyes skittered over the floor and up the wall, landing briefly, nervously on Chouji's before whipping to Kabuto.

Tayuya knocked back the last of her champagne, and burst out, "So what if that piece of shit is more to you than Kidomaro to me? What do you want to fucking do about it, huh? It's not like--"

Kabuto cut her off smoothly. "I want a divorce."

_This_ silence was absolute.

Sasuke actually collapsed against the counter this time, and his eyes closed for a second. Chouji stared at him, fascinated.

Tayuya dropped her glass, and it shattered into bright shards on the tiles. Sasuke twitched slightly.

Kabuto didn't move at either reaction. "As soon as possible."

Tayuya was pale. "W-wha-" then she got back on track, "WHAT? You know that's impossible, fucker! The kids --"

"Would stay with me. And don't argue, because you _know _it'll happen. It's not like you were ever a mother anyway."

Chouji felt very uncomfortable.

He was watching a marriage, no matter how dysfunctional it had been, fall apart.

It was disturbing, as if he were watching something too private too share.

Sasuke was staring openly at Kabuto.

Kabuto slid his marriage ring off his finger and dropped it on the counter. "And I want you out of the house by tomorrow. Sleep at Kidomaro's or something, and get your stuff out quickly."

Tayuya's face was composed, now, and she hissed, "You can't fucking do this to the kids!"

"I'm not doing anything to the kids. You weren't ever present in their lives _anyway_."

The woman whipped around, staring at Sasuke. "So this... _brat_... is the only fucking reason you suddenly want a fucking divorce?"

Kabuto's voice went cold. "Stop insulting him, Tayuya."

Sasuke smoked.

Tayuya snarled and stomped out of the kitchen, glass crunching under her house shoes. There was a rustle of clothing, the sound of zippers, and then the door slammed loud and hard.

Chouji, Kabuto and Sasuke were silent.

Chouji stared at the two. Sasuke was still smoking, eyes fixed on the explosion of glittering shards on the tiles. The red in his eyes was moving immensely fast.

Kabuto was looking at the black-haired teen, his eyes a very soft color that made Chouji's heart go just as warm as when he was watching a girly romance-virtvid.

The babysitter slunk out of the kitchen quietly and returned to the living room.

Aki jumped up from the floor. "Chouji! I'm finished!"

Chouji grinned. "Great, Aki."

The boy cocked his head. "Did Mother just leave?"

The babysitter nodded. "Yeah."

"To her best friend's house?"

Chouji nodded, holding back a growl. Tayuya, that -- ! _Best friend!_

Aki had moved to Tsume's puzzle, and they were bent over it together. Tsume was half-finished already, but it looked like she'd lost interest, her violet eyes focused out the window and her hands fiddling with the bottom hem of her red shirt. She was wearing kid-sized jeans, and she'd been running around all morning – it was no wonder she was tired now – so that her socks were more gray than white by now.

Aki's silvery hair was falling over his forehead, and his little face was scrunched up in earnest concentration. He was wearing jeans like his sister, and a sweater with some fake logo on it. He had traces of the marmalade rolls they'd eaten a half an hour ago smeared around his mouth. His eyes were exactly like Kabuto's, narrowed in contemplation, and his round child's face would sharpen to something akin to Tayuya's elfin features.

Tsume stood suddenly, and said, "I'm hungry."

Chouji laughed. "We just ate! But all right, I'll make you something."

"Dad's home, isn't he? He can cook us something!" Aki said.

Chouji winced, "I think your dad's kinda busy just now. Just tell me what you want, and I'll make it. Okay?"

Tsume shook her head, eyes sparkling. "No! Tsume wants Dad!"

The babysitter sighed. "Okay, let me go see whether your dad has time. Stay here."

Tsume shook her head again, emphatically, and stood, latching onto Chouji's pants. Aki got up and ran to the door.

This was _not _happening. First Kabuto went all insane and wanted to divorce Tayuya, and now the kids would also meet Sasuke... In two fucking days! Argh!

Chouji made his reluctant way to the kitchen, followed by Aki and Tsume, who was still glued to his pant leg.

°

"Kabuto, what the fuck do you want?"

Kabuto sighed and leaned back in the kitchen chair. His glass of sherry was balanced gracefully in his hand, and he was looking at Sasuke with slight exasperation.

Sasuke had retreated to the door, and was leaning against the frame. He was smoking and drinking a beer that Kabuto had scrounged up for him.

When Kabuto had said – in front of the wife! The babysitter! -- that Sasuke was important to him... Sasuke had nearly had a heart attack. And when he'd said _divorce_, he hadn't been doing much better.

But one had to look at it rationally. There was no way that Sasuke... and Kabuto – the kids, first of all, and Kabuto's job --

Ah fuck. Anyways, it wouldn't work out.

So... "Why?" _are you doing this shit?_

Kabuto drank some sherry. His tie was loosened, and he had freed his hair from its ponytail. "The divorce'll get Tayuya off my back. I don't need you to make a commitment, okay? I just want the kids to meet you and maybe get used to you."

Sasuke glared at him. "No commitment?" _and why the fuck did you break up with her _in front _of me, then?_

The man stood up, and there was an angry set to his jaw. He crossed around the kitchen table and grabbed Sasuke roughly.

Sasuke nearly dropped his beer. Both his hands were full, and he couldn't move much. "The _fuck_?"

Kabuto's breath was warm on his face, and his glasses weren't reflecting any light; Sasuke was staring straight into his eyes. Mere centimeters separated them.

Sasuke's heart pounded.

Kabuto's hands were rough on his shoulders. He said softly, "Quit it, Sasuke. I love you, okay? And I want this, dammit." It was a conversational tone, but dangerous, and Sasuke trembled a little.

It took a while for the words to penetrate his mind, but when they did, he actually fell. Only back against the wall, but still. He _fell_.

Tch. Damn sentimental side!

Kabuto released him and stepped back. He moved to sit again, but Sasuke quickly set aside his beer and cig and grabbed a pale, strong wrist. The man looked at him, smiling slightly.

Sasuke hated that Kabuto knew him so well, but in a way he liked it, too.

They were violent this time, challenging, and Sasuke's hands were tangled in silky silver hair as he bit his way down Kabuto's throat. Kabuto hissed softly and pushed him up against the wall. "Sasuke --"

Sasuke had reached the man's shirt buttons by now, and opened them quickly before continuing. He wasn't a fan of flying buttons and ripped clothing; he hated it when people did that to him. It was such a mess --

Kabuto's hands slid around Sasuke and settled in the small of his back, before sliding down and kneading --

Sasuke gasped into Kabuto's chest as the movement was followed by a violent thrust of Kabuto's hips that slammed him up against the wall."Fuck!"

Kabuto settled his body over Sasuke's, pinning him down. He kissed him hard, and Sasuke jumped slightly a

s a cool hand slid beneath his sweatshirts to undo his jeans.

Sasuke had never liked kissing all that much, but just now – hot wet and warm --

Kabuto managed to get his pants undone, and Sasuke groaned into their kiss as he wrapped a hand around him.

They broke for air, Sasuke leaning back and biting back whimpers as Kabuto slid his hand back and forth. "Kab-Kabuto!"

Kabuto kissed his ear, and quickened his pace. Sasuke gasped, arching. His muscles felt sore from all the tightening and relaxing they were doing, stimulated into action by Kabuto's lips, hands, skin --

Fuck!

Sasuke let out a strangled moan as Kabuto's hand tightened just enough, and heat exploded through him.

He was panting, and his heart was hammering away at his ribs. He looked up at Kabuto,

The man was half-leaning over him, wearing his little sardonic smile.

Sasuke buttoned up his jeans, and forced his breathing to slow down. "Tch. Whatever."

Well, it looked like Kabuto could really get him to do anything. Since when had Sasuke become such a sex-addict--

Both of them looked up as the door squeaked open a bit wider and soft, quick footsteps sounded.

The light from the window was as pale as ever, playing over the white tiles and cupboards and the blue walls of the kitchen. The kid who had stumbled into the room reminded Sasuke of it all, his hair silver-gray and his eyes the same strange color as Kabuto's, a constantly changing greenish-gray. He was darker than his father, and his face was angular for a child's.

He looked up at Kabuto, then at Sasuke, and then he said, "Dad, you're home early."

Chouji came in next, looking sheepish and his eyes on the little figure latched onto his pant leg. The girl was smiling wide, her eyes bright. She looked at her father and cried, "Tsume hungry!"

Sasuke looked at Kabuto, too. What now?

The man wasn't even worried!

Sasuke cursed inwardly, started to go on a mental tirade --

"Hey kids, this is Sasuke."

Holy crap. What had Kabuto wanted again? Sasuke to meet his kids?

Sasuke really had no idea of stuff like this.

He looked down at the two children. Their eyes were big and solemn as they gazed back.

The voice _finally _got to work. _Say hi! Say hi!_

Sasuke cursed under his breath, knelt down so that he was on the kids' level, and said, "Hi."

Lavender and green met his eyes.

There was silence for what seemed like forever, and then the little girl said, "Dad! Tsume hungry!"

Sasuke stood up and breathed an audible sigh of relief.

At least he hadn't been lynched.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Um... yeah.

I know it's weird. And yes, Tayuya will still appear and all that. It was just getting TOO long, and I had to stop it sometime.

Is it too dramatic? I'm thinking of maybe writing a different chap 27, if this one seems too... you know. Romantic and shit. And yes, Sasuke does overuse the word FUCK.

So please tell me how you liked it!


	28. Chapter 28

Hey people!

Um... not much to tell, except...

OMG! 200 REVIEWS! A-FUCKING-SCHMAZING!

I love you all!

Randomness: Rammstein, "Zwitter".

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Suit Square

"Naruto!"

He looked up. It was a pretty day, blurry and green and bright. Mama was smoking, her hair tied up into a messy bun and wisps of her blonde hair sticking up from the crown of her head. She was wearing her favorite bathrobe, green with pink elephants, and the lawn of the family-block, scruffy and dried out, looked faded compared to its bright colors. She was sitting cross-legged, her golden skin glowing in the sun. Her belly was straining against the robe's sash.

"Naruto, come here." She had a smoker's voice, and always spoke as though she was teasing. Naruto's daddy called her voice 'cynical', but Naruto didn't know what that meant. He kind of understood 'sarcastic', though, and Daddy also called her that.

He obeyed her, leaving his tractor on the grass and hurrying over to her. She put her cigarette between her lips –soft and red and dry, he knew – and pulled him onto her lap, settling him into the crook of her knee and arranging him just right. Then she took one of his hands and guided it to her big belly. "Feel that?"

He frowned. He didn't feel anything –

His eyes widened. Something was pushing against the soft cloth beneath his palm, prodding at him. "Wow!"

Mama laughed around her cigarette. "Yeah, it is wow. That's your little sister, Goldilocks."

Naruto wrinkled his nose. He didn't like it when she called him Goldilocks. He stared down at the swell of his Mama's belly. "Can she hear me?"

Mama shook her head, blonde strands flying as she laughed her full, scratchy laugh. "No, of course not. She's much too little, and her ears aren't finished yet."

Naruto looked up at his mother, confused. The curve of her long throat glowed indistinctly against the background of yellow grass and gray cement. "Finished?" He reached up to feel his own ears.

Mama covered his hands, and cupped his ears as well. "Exactly. You see, I have to make your sister. Like I made you. It's hard work, let me tell you, and it takes a while. And she's not finished yet." She moved one warm, dry palm to Naruto's belly. He was wearing a t-shirt, blue on orange.

The smoke from her cigarette stung his eyes a bit, and he felt her hand rub circles on his stomach. "See, I started making you from the tummy out. And it's the same with your sister. Your ears are pretty far from your tummy, aren't they?"  
Naruto nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Yeah, they are. So your ears weren't finished for a while because I had to make the rest of you first. And the little one in here... I'm currently making her eyes, I think. Her ears are gonna be started in a few days."

Naruto grinned. "Then she'll be able to hear me!"

Mama laughed again, and one hand pulled Naruto closer while the other plucked the cigarette from between her lips. "Yeah, Goldilocks. Then she'll be able to hear you."

"Mama! Don't call me that!"

"Why not? I like 'Goldilocks'. It's a good name for you. You're curious, and you're sneaky."

"_Mama_!"

She laughed, her tawny skin folding around her mouth in deep lines of laughter. Her breasts pressed against his arm as she hugged him again and placed a kiss on the tip of his nose. "Come on, Naruto. We should go back up. Cook something for Daddy when he comes back... damn, but I've become a real housewife... shocking, don't you think, kiddo?"

Naruto shrugged. He didn't understand much of what his Mama said once she started talking in that angry voice.

Mama grinned suddenly and shooed him off her lap. "You're right, Naruto. I shouldn't be all mopey. It' my own fault for marrying such a square... believer in the State, my ass. Come on, we'll make fish stew."

Naruto snatched up his tractor and ran to catch up with his mother, who was already almost at the family-block's entrance. She had started a new cigarette, and smiled down at him when he grabbed her hand. They stepped into the cool building, and the glow of the sun followed them up the first speckled linoleum flight of stairs.

°

He hurt so bad.

His Daddy was asleep next to him.

He hurt all over, and he felt sticky and scratchy. His butt hurt the worst.

Daddy stank of the stuff he always drank these days. The smell permeated the whole bedroom, the windows closed and the light nearly non-existent from behind thick curtains.

He hated this house. It was empty, the area around it was empty, and there was no Mama. It had one bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a cellar.

He was afraid of the cellar. Daddy liked taking him to the cellar when he had had a lot of the stuff out of the brown bottles.

He wriggled out of his Daddy's grasp, and hurried down to the dark kitchen. It stank here too, the same too-sweet smell of the yellow stuff out of the brown glass bottles. He could barely walk, but he'd gotten used to the pain by now.

Mama had been gone for a long time – she had never 'finished' his little sister, and they had both disappeared. Daddy had never explained it to him, and Naruto had never asked. He knew that it had something to do with the things Mama would say when she was angry – stuff about the State and 'squares' and 'propaganda' and 'authoritarianism'.

Daddy was always stinking of the drink these days, and he hurt Naruto badly. He called him Hana, Mama's name, and he did weird stuff in bed at night. It always hurt, and Naruto didn't know what it was good for.

But it was better to be nice to Daddy. Nice and quiet and obedient.

He put water on, and got the little pills from the cupboard that Daddy always took for his headache in the mornings. Naruto didn't know if they really helped, though. Daddy would wash it down with more yellow stuff, and somehow his head wouldn't get better.

Naruto looked at the clock. It was eight, and he knew that he should be going to school.

He had been put into the nearest school to this empty and dead place, but he almost never went. Daddy hurt him more if he left the house besides to shop, and he never understood anything anyway. He was in fourth grade, ten years old, and he hadn't gone to school much for the five of his school life. Fractions were way over his head.

The State people would come sometimes, and tell Daddy to get Naruto to school. But he never did, and the people would just come back a few months later. Nothing ever changed, and Naruto wasn't expecting it to do so.

He froze as heavy footsteps sounded outside the room in the corridor, and something in his chest cramped up as his Daddy lumbered into the kitchen.

He was a massive man, and Naruto could remember when he had been muscular and Mama had always called him 'Rambo'. Naruto hadn't understood that, and he still didn't. But now Daddy surely was no 'Rambo'. His belly was almost as big as Mama's had been before she vanished, and the tattoos of the State crest on his arms were stretched over flab. He had snarly brown curls all over his head, and black eyes that seemed to have grown smaller... at least, Naruto remembered them as much bigger and warmer.

"Hana, where's the fucking coffee?"

Naruto just pointed to the mug. Daddy scared him so much these days... It hurt in his chest whenever the man's huge shadow fell over him, and his breath went all short and fast.

Daddy took his mug, the pills, and grabbed a brown bottle from the pile of crates in the kitchen corner. "Get me some breakfast," he growled.

Naruto just nodded.

Daddy left the kitchen, and Naruto listened to his footsteps until they stopped, probably in the bathroom.

He hurt.

He squashed a few cockroaches on his search for something edible. Sure, he tried to keep the house clean, but Daddy always threw up in the kitchen and there were still remnants of food left here from a long time ago, stuck between the machines and beneath the counters --

Naruto just couldn't get all of it out or away, and the cockroaches liked the kitchen. There was a huge nest of them behind the fridge, which leaked badly and belched out weird liquids from time to time. Naruto had discovered it by accident, on one of his many tries to get rid of the insects. He'd taken a good long look at the roiling mass of black carapaces and twitching feelers, and then hurriedly pushed the fridge back into place.

He found cheese, eggs that didn't smell too bad, and some sausage. So.. omelette.

He shuffled over to the stove and set to 'work'.

He was ten years old, and he really, really wanted Daddy to remember his name.

°

"Oy, Naruto! You're out late!"

Naruto turned and grinned at his friend. "Oh yeah, Jiraiya wanted some favors. I'll be out all night now, though."

Haku chuckled softly. He was wearing his satin, fake-fur trimmed maroon coat. It was open over low-cut white jeans and a black turtleneck. His right hand held a long black cigarette, and his lips pursed around it as he smoked with a natural grace that spoke of long addiction.

It was cold but dry, and the sky above them was black and smog-veiled. Slum Street was a mess of cars standing bumper-to-bumper, lining each side of the road and honking their horns to attract whores.

Naruto looked around. He could feel the black alley that led to Jiraiya's brothel yawning menacingly behind him.

The whores on Slum Street all looked cheap or tired in some way. Skirts and pants were plastic twenty-minicel-crap, and shirts were secondhand. Underwear was a big no-no, and the pimps were watching attentively from their alleys, their discreet little cameras trained on their 'employees'.

All the windows in the apartment buildings were closed, and no lights were on. The bars were packed just now, and many whores made a little tour through the establishments to look for prospective clients.

The street was narrow, and scum – condoms, booze, glass and worse – collected at the sides of it. The side walk was a cracked, uneven affair that had grass sprouting through it absolutely everywhere. The whole street stank of stale sweat, sex, drugs and disease.

A long red car muscled its way to the curb, and the guys inside honked their horn. A tinted window rolled down, and a dude with a mustache, around ten earrings on each ear, and a liter of gel smeared into his hair stuck his pock-marked face out. "Yo, hotness!" He screeched at Haku.

Haku flipped his long, straight hair over his shoulder, took a drag from his cigarette, and slowly sauntered up to the guy. "Yeah?"

"How much do you cost, sexy?"

Haku flashed him his sex smile. "Three for a blowjob, five for a fuck, and two for each kinky thing you want from me..." his voice was smooth and melodious, and oozed sex.

The dude gave Haku a dazed little grin, and muttered, "Get in."

Haku laughed softly, gave Naruto a nonchalant wave, and obeyed Mustache-Man.

Naruto waited for his first customer with no small amount of impatience. He was sore from Jiraiya's earlier treatment, but he knew from past experiences that the sooner he got a client, the better. Because the less time that lay between Jiraiya's bed and the customers' cars, the less it hurt. Jiraiya had explained it once, while he was in a good mood – something with muscles and relaxing and stretching.

The nearest whores were a few feet away. To Naruto's left was a girl that also belonged to Jiraiya. Her name was Kin, and she was a runaway like Naruto. He'd seen her scars in the showers a couple times. But unlike Naruto, she was a 'knife junkie. He could see that she needed a hit, her hands trembling and her eyes flitting from one car to the other in a panicked flight. She kept her tubes of 'knife in her purse with her condoms and the rest of her paraphernalia, but taking a hit now during rush hour would most certainly earn her a beating. Crystalknife was paralyzing for the first fifteen minutes after the hit, and an OD got you ready for the morgue within milliseconds.

An as-yet-unattended car angled into the line at the curb, and Naruto pulled his coat close to himself before moving towards it. He bent over the window, grinning his own seductive smile. The window rolled down, and he felt the warmth from the car's heating on his face.

The driver murmured a request that sent panic skittering down Naruto's spine, but he just kept on smiling and jumped in. Jiraiya was watching, and a misstep could cost him the few freedoms he had, like being allowed to go out during the day...

The dude took him around the next corner, where the hour motels started, and parked in the underground lot of the cheapest, a place called 'Mona Lisa's Secrets' that was best known for its cockroaches and semen stains. Naruto got out with him, followed him to a room, and got the shit over with. With the fucking, the whip, the chains, and the toys, he technically got eleven chips out of this. Practically, he got one, and Jiraiya got ten.

So yeah.

But at least he wasn't being mistaken for his mother, and fucked as her.

His escape from his father had unspectacular, and he didn't like remembering much of past shit. Remembering was _bad_.

He sometimes thought of his mother, and his un-'finished' sister. Otherwise, Slum consisted of Haku for him. And maybe Jiraiya's good moods.

Naruto got back to his usual spot, and scanned the curb for the next dude. His ass hurt from the last one's toys, but the rawness would just get worse with the night, and it made no sense to dwell on it.

Actually, it didn't make much sense to dwell on _anything_.

°

"Hey, do you have some space under here? I need a place to sleep."

The girls looked up from their card game, the couple at the back stopped kissing to stare at him, and the black-haired kid on the mattress right in front of him gave him a pissed-off glance. The last kid looked like he was sleeping.

Naruto shifted slightly. It was almost spring, and getting slightly warmer. The sky was a late-afternoon bluish-purple, and Whore Street was quiet but for the murmurs of the sex workers and the sound of televids from the apartment houses. It seemed much cleaner, nicer than Slum.

The black-haired girl spoke first. "I... guess. As long as you have something to sleep on."

The awning was pink, the signs were pink, and the doors and windows were black. It was the shop from Hell, but Naruto liked it... kind of.

He grinned. "Thanks a lot, I really appreciate it."

The kid in front of him pinned him with a red-marked glare. "I'll let you sleep on my mattress tonight. But only tonight."

The blonde girl gasped loudly, and asked, "Sasuke! No, it's okay, he can sleep with us--"

Naruto plopped down on the mattress next to the other kid, and sighed. "Thanks, man."

"Tch. Whatever, dobe."

"_What?_"

Sasuke just smirked, and lit a cigarette.

°

Gaara had gone to shower without saying anything else.

Naruto cleaned up the stuff from their coffee and wiped down the counters. He organized the fridge, took all the things out of the cupboards – not that there was much -- , cleaned them out, put the stuff back in, systematically washed and dried each piece of cutlery and every single dish or glass that Gaara owned, cleaned the table, and started on the floor. He got to the table legs with the cleaning rag, leaving a shiny wet expanse between the white of the wall and the table, before dropping the cloth and falling back onto the palms of his hands, his legs sprawled out in front of him.

He glared up at the window. The floor was cold against his bare legs, and his hands were wet and wrinkly from all the washing and wiping and cleaning he'd been doing. The sleeves of Gaara's sweatshirt were rolled up around his elbows.

He blew a strand of hair out of his eyes. The were tremors going through his arms.

Well, it wasn't as if it came as a surprise... Gaara was simply very --

... possessive...

Naruto hadn't minded yet, and he still wasn't sure whether he did now.

On one hand, it was nice to think that Gaara cared about him – well, sort of, anyway – and that he wanted Naruto to stop working. When Naruto looked at it like that, it made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

On the other... Naruto had changed a lot of things for Gaara, and whoring had been his _life _for years now. It had been like the last unchanged thing about his life at Whore now that Gaara was in the picture.

And it scared Naruto that he felt as though he could easily give up on it.

Mama had been a strong woman, and when Naruto looked back now – as he did very rarely, remembering still felt kind of achy in his chest – he could basically piece it all together. Mama had been a dissident of sorts, and she'd given up all of it for his father. Naruto could very dimly remember a few scenes, with many people and loud voices and big red signs – demonstrations. Mama had been really involved in stuff like that, but Naruto's father had worked at the State electricity plant and swiftly rising through the ranks. He had been a firm believer in the State, and hadn't allowed Mama to ruin his career.

Mama had completely changed her life for Naruto's father... but in the end, her rebellion had still caught up with her – Naruto was pretty sure that her disappearance had something to do with the State. He shook the thoughts away. They were irrelevant; what worried him was that, looking back, he knew what happened when you changed too much for someone. Mama had done it, and she'd been unhappy.

He shivered, and slowly got up, picking up the rag.

Now the only question was whether he'd already changed too much for Gaara, or whether he could still do this --

Fuck, he loved Gaara, and he _knew_ that he needed him. But this... was going in the deep end. Stopping his whoring?

He shivered again, and moved out into the corridor. The shower was no longer running, though the door of the bathroom was still closed. It was dark in the narrow hall, and he stared at the door of the bathroom with thoughts roiling through his mind.

And what exactly did Gaara mean? Did he want Naruto to just stop whoring, and go on living at Whore? Or did he... did he want Naruto to _live with him?_

Naruto imagined the second case for a second, and almost fell over. He kind of felt like laughing his head off, but a big part of him also went completely _HOLY SHIT! I WANT THAT!_

Argh!

This was getting so damn complicated!

Naruto hadn't actually given the 'future' much thought yet. He had been content with coming here each night, feeling warm and good next to Gaara and leaving again the next day. Wanting more could have gotten him disappointed, and in the worst case dead.

So what did the redhead mean?

Naruto chewed his lip, pondering that question.

The bathroom door opened as if on a cue.

Gaara was dressed in his jeans and nothing else, his hair sticking up into all directions and his eyes flat as he stared at Naruto. A towel was slung around his neck, the red cloth contrasting with his pale, muscular chest. His lips were set in their usual grim line.

Naruto sighed inwardly. He was so fucking _sexy_.

Gaara looked at him for a while, his eyes heavy and challenging, before stepping into the bedroom.

Naruot followed him and watched him pull on a black t-shirt. He was still holding the wet rag in one hand, and his legs were cold in the chill of the room's open windows. The light filtered in over the futon, the comforter tossed into a messy wad at one end of it. The tatami glowed in the pallid sunlight, and Naruto's bag lay next to his discarded clothes from the night before. Gaara's own outfit was scattered around the futon as well.

"Hey, Gaara," he started.

The redhead looked up from searching for something in the closet – boxers, maybe, or other pants – and fixed Naruto with his coldly disinterested look. He shifted slightly, as if to say, _get on with it_.

The blonde looked right back at him. It was still unnerving, the green depths still dragging him under --

But he'd gotten accustomed to it.

"About... what you said. In the kitchen. What do you want?"

Gaara snarled a bit, impatiently, and said softly, "What I said."

Naruto threw his hands into the air. "Well, yeah! But do you mean that you want me here?"

Gaara half-shrugged, and he gave Naruto a _no duh_ – well, okay, maybe that was exaggerated – look.

Naruto glared at him. "I mean, do you want me _here_? As in, all the time? _Living _here?"

Gaara ignored him.

The blonde growled and went into the bathroom to wash out the rag.

He just wanted to get it! To know whether Gaara wanted...

... Naruto _there_. Always. Like a real, functional, romance couple. Like... well, a marriage was too far-fetched. But at the very least like a real honest-to-God relationship.

The more Naruto thought about it, the more he liked the idea. Now, if only Gaara would agree --

What if he didn't? What if Naruto had just overstepped his boundaries? What if--

No more what ifs!

He washed the cloth out viciously. The bathroom still smelled of the warm wet of the shower and Gaara's shower gel. The mirror was fogged-up and he could only see a section of his cheek and nose clearly. His eyes were really bright because of his anger, and the blue pierced through the moisture.

Mama's eyes had been a faded aquamarine --

He cursed under his breath. What was wrong with him?

Gaara's statement – order! And the kiss! The goddamn _kiss_! – had completely thrown him off... track, or whatever. He had Mama's rough hands in his mind, the smell of her garlic-drenched salads, her cheap stinking cigarettes. Daddy was also there, heavy and loud and painful. Jiraiya, all bark and no bite, unless he got into the drink or Naruto didn't make enough money – Haku, smelling of cheap perfume and coconut shampoo, his hair sifting over his shoulders in heavy waves of black silk and his eyes warm and deep --

Tenten, sarcastic and mean and loving the vodka – where was she from, anyway? -- , Ino, harsh laughter and lacy underwear in the cold. Shikamaru still, silent and angry, the pale silhouette of his prone form in the bluish nights. Shino and Kiba lovey-dovey in their corner under their big brown blanket, Akamaru, Iruka's deep voice, Kakashi's perverted books, the shock of his bright hair.

Sasuke's cold voice and the absent-minded smile on his face that was so new but fit him so well, his cigarettes stinking up the Konoha and the red wheels spinning fast in amusement, deep in the black of his eyes --

Temari and Kankuro. Sharp and hard-faced –where had they grown up? When? -- , their humor as sharp as the blade of Gaara's favorite knife --

_Gaara_.

Ice.

Greens between turquoise and emerald, skin smooth and unmarked except for scars that glowed silver in blue darkness over pale --

The silences, comfortable and full of things that Naruto never really tried to decipher, because where would the mystery be then?

All the little things, the vodka, the way he said Naruto's name, the iciness of his speaking, the way he hated too much sugar in his coffee and wet towels.

The hard, even planes of his face and the scar on his temple. The callouses on his hands when they slid over Naruto's cuts, drew rough circles on his abdomen. The muscles shifting under his skin, and the way he looked in the shower with his hair bleeding an unruly red under the water.

Naruto glanced over at the shower stall. Gaara had surprised him once, gotten out and then turned the water on very cold. Naruto had chased the redhead into the kitchen and shouted at him for a few seconds, before realizing that they were both naked and Gaara was looking at him like a hungry lion --

He chuckled, and then grinned at himself in the mirror. The moisture had bled away, and he could see his whole face and one shoulder now. The rag lay in the sink, the water was still running cold over his fingers, and the scars on his cheeks glowed in the still steamy air of the bathroom.

Stop whoring?

He shook his head and stared at himself. He was still laughing a little, and one of his teeth was poking out over his lip. It always did that.

He turned off the water and hung the rag up to dry before going off to look for Gaara.

The redhead was finishing his coffee in the kitchen. His eyes slid over to Naruto when the blonde stepped into the room, and he put the mug down.

Naruto didn't really know what he wanted to say. His mouth was always way ahead of his mind, though, and it had always worked out pretty well... "I'll stop working."

Yeah, and now what?

Gaara's lips twitched. "Of course you will."

Naruto growled at him. "Quit that!"

Gaara's lips curved a bit farther. He gestured to the clock on the table.

Naruto understood. "Got to go?"

Gaara nodded.

"Where are you working, now?"

Gaara shrugged. "Construction. Carrying shit."

Naruto leaned against the doorframe, and watched the redhead move towards him. Gaara's lips met his, briefly, and the foundation of Naruto's earth shook again, before sharp ivory pierced into his neck. Then Gaara was in the corridor, shrugging into his jacket – he managed to make even that look dangerous! -- and tying his boots with sharp, quick jerks.

Naruto caught his breath. Gaara's jacket was a dark brown, leather and heavy. He wore jeans, as always, and a thick black sweater.

The redhead didn't look back, or anything like that. He just left, and the door slipped shut behind him. Naruto could hear his footsteps down the steps. He listened to them and stared at a spot on the tatami floor.

He'd just agreed to stop whoring, but... there was no shock, or anything. He just felt a bit weird. Like... what now?

He should go get his stuff from Whore, because now that Gaara was gone, he felt much braver about the whole living-here thing. Right now, the apartment felt pretty comfortable. He'd always imagined being alone in here as scary, but... it actually wasn't.

This was the first time he was alone in the apartment!

He'd just officially stopped whoring!

Naruto looked around. Damn... this was all a big surprise...

Not in a bad way, though.

Naruto shrugged and started grinning again.

Or maybe just wider.

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Sorry that it took so long... I was gone over the weekend. Anyway... did you guys like it?

Big **NEWS:** I'll be in California next week. Between SF and Chico, with the most time in SF. We'll be on the motorcycle. If you live north of or in SF and south of Chico – we'll also be in Tahoe -- , then... drop me a line, and maybe(MAYBE!) we can meet up. That would be awesomeness, really.

It was my **BIRTHDAY**on Friday!

I am now **SEVENTEEN!**

Yay!

Anyway...

Please review...!


	29. Chapter 29

Hey! I'm back! Finally!

Here's chap. 29!!!

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Kankuro opened the door to the sound of Ukon's swearing.

"Fucking hell, why the fuck does this shit always happen and this bitch of a—"

Kankuro threw his jacket over the couch right next to the door and looked at his lover. "Ukon?"

The virtvision was on across from the couch, on a music channel, and electro-metal was pounding through the small speakers that hung in the corners of the room. Some guy in ripped jeans and a rainbow t-shirt was screaming at the camera with fake rain pouring down around him. The dreary cold light from the small slits that served as windows made the cracks and shadowy dents in the wall show up sharp, the bluish light of the virtvision flickering over the off-white paint.

Ukon was standing in the kitchen corner, looking pale. There was a pot on the oven, and Kankuro could see beads of moisture pearling on the lid – his lover had just cooked. The lightbulb hanging over the stove was on, and steaming hot water was running in the sink.

Kankuro saw the packet of pills then, and kicked off his shoes in one motion as he crossed the living room. He snatched up the remote control for the virtvision and muted the blaring music. Ukon shuddered and leaned hard on the stove, thankfully missing the still glowing burner.

Kankuro reached him and put an arm around him tightly, muttering, "Fuck, Ukon, you know that you shouldn't take ExxU! You fucking _promised_ me!"

Ukon's hands slid under Kankuro's t-shirt and settled on his hips, tightening their clammy cold grip. He was wearing cut-off denim shorts and a baggy sweatshirt, and his eyes were wide and frightened, his pupils dilated almost completely. "Fuck, Kankuro--"

Kankuro held him tight, grabbing the silver foil packet of small brown pills and throwing them into the trash with a vicious jerk of his free hand. He managed to bend down and open the fridge, and yanked out a plastic pack of bread. "Fuck, fuck, _fuck_ – here, come on, eat something, I'll get you some water--"

Ukon shook his head violently. "No, I'll be okay, I just need to sit down, it's okay, it's okay." His breathing was coming in fast hard gasps, and his trembling got even worse.

Kankuro got a chunk of the bread ripped off, and forced it between Ukon's lips, his eyes narrowing. "_Ukon_, you are eating, okay? You are eating, then you're drinking, you're lying down, and _then _you're fucking _explaining _why the hell you got yourself ExxU!"

He regretted shouting immediately, seeing Ukon spasm and feeling the hands on his ribs tighten. The silver-haired man swallowed the bread, his shoulders heaving. Kankuro helped him lean over the sink. "Just--"

Ukon's body spasmed again, his hands clawing into Kankuro's skin and his eyes closing tight. He managed a "Shit--" before vomiting.

Kankuro let him go, letting him get rid of all of the drug and the drink that he'd no doubt had with it. He got a glass from the cupboard above the fridge and poured some water from the fridge into it, watching Ukon out of the corner of his eye.

Finally, the silver-haired man managed to stand upright, and splashed some of the still running scalding water onto his face, still trembling and sweaty. Kankuro handed him the water, and he gulped it down, making his uncertain way to the couch.

Kankuro turned the virtvision off. The room darkened immediately. He picked his shoes up from where he'd left them, tossing them to the strip of dark carpet where the rest of their shoes were. Standing at the mess of boots and sneakers, he slipped his hands into his pockets and leaned against the door.

Ukon had crawled onto the couch. His hands were white around the glass of water and he had pulled his knees to his chest. He glanced up at Kankuro and gave him a shaky grin. "Hell, man."

Kankuro took a deep breath. It made no sense to shout, it made no sense to shout, it made _no sense to shout_, it made _no _fucking _sense_ to _shout_! "What the _fuck _were you thinking?"

Ukon jumped and cringed at the same time, but straightened up right away. He shrugged, sullen now that the worst was over.

Kankuro looked to the ceiling for support. He let out a shaky sigh that turned into a growl midway through, and punched the door so hard that it shook in its hinges. "Ukon, you _promised _me. You swore you'd quit it. If it had been weed, Valium – _anything _but ExxU, I wouldn't have cared. But _ExxU. _Why do you do this? You know it could kill you! Do you think this is funny, making me--"

Ukon threw his glass at the wall. "Kankuro!" The glass shattered and tinkled to the floor.

Kankuro caught himself. He took a few calming breaths and ran a hand through his hair, the other rubbing at his mouth. "Ukon, you just – You just push the limit too often."

Ukon shook his head violently. "_No._ Don't talk like that."

"Well, what am I _supposed _to talk like? Oh, it's fine, you can try out ExxU any day, you were just fucking addicted to it a few years ago, it doesn't matter that you could have a backlash and go into a _coma_! It's fucking perfect! Awesome! Just have your fun with it, Ukon! Just go ahead and risk it! Nevermind that you could fucking _die._"

"Kankuro! You don't get it, okay? Just---stop."

Kankuro swore something, and stormed into the bedroom. He stripped out of his t-shirt and threw on a loose sweatshirt. In the living room the virtvision started again.

Kankuro sat down on the edge of the bed and let out a deep breath. He covered his face with his hands and just breathed for a while, letting his heart calm down.

Ukon had done this before.

Kankuro _knew_ he didn't understand it, knew that he _couldn't._ Ukon had a history with drugs, and ExxU had ruled his life for a long time. Kankuro had never been addicted to anything serious, and he couldn't understand Ukon's sporadic need for the pills.

It worried him beyond measure, though, and his heart had skipped a beat each time he'd come home to a pale, trembling man that clung to him like a child.

Kankuro swallowed hard and got up. He walked back to the living room and sat down on the couch.

Ukon looked at him and muttered, "It won't happen again."

Kankuro wanted to point out that Ukon had said that each precedent time, but he had calmed down enough now to know that that wouldn't improve the situation at all.

He stared at the screen. There was a new electro-metal song on; this time the singer was a girl.

Ukon turned it off, and there was a sudden silence in the coldly lit room.

Kankuro grimaced. "Ah, fuck it. Just--- please, don't ever do that again." He grabbed Ukon and pulled him close, holding him tight.

Ukon laughed and muttered acidly, "Kankuro, I just barfed."

Kankuro sighed. "Ukon, I don't always have sex on my mind, you know."

Ukon shrugged. "But most of the time."

Kankuro kissed his cheek roughly. "Are you okay now?"

Ukon nodded. "Yeah. It's almost all gone."

They were quiet, Ukon unabashedly holding on to him. His eyes glittered underneath his lashes, and his lipstick was smudged. His piercings jangled whenever he shifted, and gleamed in the cool glow of the afternoon light. His skin had lost most of its pallor, though his heartbeat was still erratic against Kankuro's arm.

After a silent, warm eternity, Ukon untangled himself and tugged Kankuro to his feet. He left him standing in the bedroom, and Kankuro could hear him brushing his teeth at lightning speed – ah shit, they still needed to clean up the broken glass...

Ukon reappeared, and the light of the bathroom behind him, falling in an even rectangle over the carpet, vanished with a sharp _click_. "The food should still be warm." He murmured.

Kankuro shook his head.

Ukon grinned slowly. "Aha."

"Now that you've brushed your teeth, I might just be --"

"Thinking of sex?"

"Only if you really feel all right."

"I still feel a bit out of it, but if you go easy on me, it'll probably even make me feel better."

Kankuro chuckled, Ukon wriggled out of his shorts, and they ended up on the bed in a tangle of warm limbs and skin.

He nuzzled Ukon's neck, muttering, "Don't, please don't, scare me like that. Not ever again."

Ukon wrapped his legs around him. "I won't."

"Promise?"

"Yeah-- Kankuro! What-- oh fuck, do that again--"

°

"Augh."

"Busy day?"

"Kind of."

Tenten was wearing tight jeans and a pink tank top over nothing; her creamy skin was smooth and inviting in the bluish light, her hipbones sharp and a slim dark line disappearing into the thick denim of her pants. The pink stretchy top ended just above the dimple of her bellybutton, and her nipples were taut and erect beneath it, the coolness of the kitchen raising the light hair on her arms. Her buns were up in blue silk and magenta cords, the fabric flashing in the dim kitchen.

She had made up her eyes with eyeliner in a Southeastern style, the sweeping lines of silvery-blue making them even longer and more slanted. Her eyelashes were curved up with white mascara, and her lips gleamed a filmy pink. Her earrings were round blue studs.

She spoke again. "What did you have to do?"

Of all things about Tenten, Temari liked her throat the most. Whenever the girl spoke, the tiny hollow between her collarbones shifted, and the shadows played over her neck, sliding up and carving over her jaw.

Temari was sitting at her little kitchen fold-out table, watching Tenten pour rum into their tea.

It was Wednesday; Wednesdays were her favorite. She could leave work early, and oftener than not Tenten was waiting for her at home. She didn't have a key, but she said that Temari's stairwell was warmer than the Konoha and that she didn't mind waiting... Temari had been planning on getting her a key, but in a way she didn't want to.

It had nothing to do with distrust. Temari didn't like the meaning an act like giving a key to someone had. And besides, she liked coming home to Tenten sitting on the steps. "Ah, just simulations and such. Pretty boring fiddle-stuff."

Tenten handed her a mug of alcohol-smelling tea. "Oh."

Temari watched her sit down. "What about you?"

Tenten made a face. "Nothing much happened. The Konoha was absolutely deserted, and I really couldn't find _anything _to do, so I thought... why not go to Temari's... got nothing better to do..."

Temari laughed.

The black-haired girl rolled her eyes and muttered. "Oh man."

"What?"

"I told you about Sasuke, right?"

"Broody?"

"Yeah. So anyway, it seems he had a fight with his mysterious lover. And he stormed off around noon today looking like he had murder on his mind."

Temari laughed.

Tenten wrinkled her nose. "On second thought, though, that was halfway my fault."

Temari took a sip of her tea, smiling. Tenten was just so... something.

The girl drank her tea slowly and quietly.

Temari liked her hands, too. She had long, slender fingers, and today the nails were painted a bright blue. She gestured with them whenever she talked, but not in the hectic, birdlike way that many women did – she moved them languorously and easily, completely confident in her own ability to catch people's attention and hold it.

They made it to the bedroom after finishing the tea, and Temari felt the soft smooth skin under her hands shiver in the cold --

Afterwards, Tenten murmured, "Do you mind?"

Temari was tracing her tattoo. "Mind what?"

"My job."

They had been frank about Tenten's occupation, weeks ago already. "No."

"Good."

Temari kissed the rising curve of a pale breast. "Should I care?"

Tenten let out a breathless laugh. "Stop! That tickles – I don't know whether you should."

Temari looked at her.

Tenten's eyeliner was smeared, and she held her gaze with a sardonic half-smile playing about her lips.

Temari sighed. "Let's watch virtvision."

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Okay, FILLER. But it was good against writer's block!!!

PLEASE review.


	30. Chapter 30

Yo!

I'm back!

Chap 30...

Randomness: Xandria. "Forever Yours."

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Suit Square

Sasuke gasped a bit as Tsume shifted, her death grip on his hair tightening.

Aki frowned up at the girl. "Stop it, you're hurting Sasuke."

Tsume's eyes widened, and she quickly let go of Sasuke's hair and looked at him apologetically.

Sasuke bit his lip to keep from smiling, and muttered, "It's okay."

She grinned and snuggled closer to him, and Sasuke nearly lost his balance. He steadied himself on the kitchen counter, adjusted the girl on his hip, and brought his cigarette to his lips with his free hand.

Aki was staring at him. As a matter of fact, he'd been staring at him the whole afternoon.

The kid was sitting on the floor right next to Sasuke's feet for some unknown reason, and had an action figure in one hand. What was it again? MetroMan?

As soon as the babysitter had left, the kids had glued themselves to Sasuke with a kind of desperation that was almost frightening. It was as if they thought he'd disappear into thin air any second.

And while Tsume was friendly and constantly clamored for Sasuke to hold her, Aki just stared. Like a frightened deer that Sasuke had once seen on virtvision.

It had started drizzling outside; there were thin streaks of moisture on the kitchen window, and the sky was a dark gray. The kitchen's warm golden cupboards and counters glowed in the light of the torchiere next to the table. There were two mugs of tea on the table, still steaming slightly, and two glasses of orange juice on the counter. The smell of frying vegetables wafted from the wok on the stove – one of those new things on which you could specify exactly the size and shape of burner you wanted simply by putting the pot on – and Sasuke kept his cigarette in his mouth in order to stir the food a few times.

Kabuto had gone upstairs a few minutes ago.

Sasuke didn't know about all this. Hell, here he was, fucking holding a toddler on his hip and watching over goddamn stir fry!

It was four by the digital clock on the back of the stove, and Sasuke was already dreading when he had to leave. He'd be in a vicious mood tonight, that was for sure.

Kabuto had introduced his kids to him, had said that he had... feelings... for him, _and _that he wanted a divorce, all in one day.

Not that Sasuke truly minded. It was just... going to take some getting used to. A part of him was scared out of its mind of all this, and another part of him was beyond ecstatic. And the kids--!

Tsume leaned over just then, reaching for her juice, and Sasuke swiftly balanced her out with his cigarette-holding hand, carefully keeping the burning end away from her. He handed her the glass and watched her drink, surreptitiously.

Fuck, she was so _cute_! She reminded him of a playful cat or something, something small and fluffy.

Aki was... one of those dogs that barked at you but never really bit.

And Kabuto was --

"Sasuke?"

Speak of the devil. He turned, deftly holding onto Tsume's glass before she dropped it on Aki's head.

Kabuto had changed into jeans and a green sweater, and gave Sasuke a slight smile. "Is it finished?"  
Sasuke shrugged, glancing at the wok. "Hn."

°

Kabuto watched Sasuke dress, leaning against the dresser. The rain outside had gotten stronger. "Are you sure I shouldn't drive you?"

Sasuke shook his head. "I'll take the bus."

The kids were in the living room, watching virtvision. They had let Sasuke go only after the kid had promised several times to return the next day.

Sasuke pulled on his boots and laced them up. His hair was mussed and sticking up from Tsume's frequent attacks. His pale skin almost glowed in the dim corridor, his eyes flat and dark. The circles inside them spun lazily on their crimson axis. His eyebrows were furrowed slightly, and the chipped polish on his nails flashed black as he pulled the laces tight.

Kabuto watched the shadows slide over his skin, and realized he hadn't touched him since they'd set the table.

He waited until the teen stood to move towards him, kissing him.

Sasuke tasted of smoke, as always, and of the salty soy sauce of the stir fry. His mouth was hot and welcoming, and his hands clenched and loosened on Kabuto's shoulders.

He pulled away soon, saying, "I'm going."

Kabuto wasn't a jealous person.

He couldn't remember _ever_ feeling jealous before.

But right now, he had a real hate for the people that would get Sasuke into their car that night. "Meet me tomorrow as usual."

Sasuke flashed him a cold, amused smile and kissed him hard and fast before grabbing his jacket and disappearing out the door.

°

It was getting colder and colder the more he walked—it was probably closer to two hundred-fifty than -sixty by now. Whore Street was still resting, though it was dark enough for the ramen shop's light to be on and for the Konoha's lurid glow to sting Sasuke's eyes.

The whores at the bus stop had gotten a few bottles of rum from somewhere, and greeted Sasuke with smiles and jokes and laughter, huddled beneath blankets, jackets and anything they could find. The transvestites and Lolitas were silent but for the occasional laugh or cough as he passed them. The ramen man waved hi.

The sky was a threatening, roiling gray by now, and Sasuke didn't doubt that it would be raining soon. The stir fry was warm in his stomach, and he felt strangely... happy, he supposed.

Something was up at the Konoha.

The whores were up and about, and he could hear loud voices.

He stepped into the circle of pink light and took stock of the situation.

Kiba was standing off to one side, his arms crossed and his eyebrows furrowed. Iruka was talking at earnest length, Kakashi was reading his book on the steps of the shop—Tenten wasn't to be seen, but Ino was also talking loudly. Shino was sitting on the ground and watching Akamaru sniff at Sasuke and Naruto's mattress. Shikamaru, wonder of wonders, was actually _standing up_. He was glaring down at Naruto, who was as usual at the center of it all.

The blonde was kneeling on Sasuke and his mattress, wearing jeans and his thick new jacket and looking very happy. His eyes were bright in the lurid light, and he was grinning so that his one tooth poked out over his lip. His hair was messy and spiked up with not enough gel and in his hands he had his old patched-up backpack. He was steadily stuffing things into it from the pile of clothing that he and Sasuke had been too lazy to separate and organize. It was easy enough to understand—Sasuke's was everything black, Naruto's was everything else.

He realized that Iruka was still speaking-- "...It's dangerous! Naruto! You can't do this... what if--"

"Teme!" Naruto yelled, grinning, effectively shutting the Forcer up. "I'm moving out today."

Ino huffed. "Naruto, we're talking about the Sandman here!"

Kiba muttered, "You're insane."

Naruto grimaced up at Sasuke, and said in a stage whisper, "They don't want me to go... don't wanna admit that they'd miss me."

Sasuke chuckled despite himself, then sobered up quickly. "You're... leaving."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Wow, you're quick."

Sasuke looked up at the others. "He's moving to the Sandman—to Gaara's place?"

Kiba sighed exasperatedly. "We've been trying to stop him for hours now."

Iruka looked as worried as he had six months before, upon Naruto's disappearance. "He's just not listening."

Whore Street without Naruto? Without an annoying voice screaming 'ramen' over and over again? Without a bundle of blonde warmth next to him at night? Without afternoons at the Arcade, washing up and drinking shots of bad vodka? No more really bad grinning poker faces while playing cards? No more bouncy hyperness next to him on the curb?

"You're still working, though." Sasuke said, a touch of desperation in his tone.

Naruto grinned wider and shook his head. "Nope! Not at Whore Street, at least." His face darkened. "Hmm... I'll probably have to get a legal job or something..."

Sasuke sat down next to the blonde. "Fuck, dobe."

Naruto looked at him earnestly. "Hey, teme, it's not like I won't visit. I'll come here and drink with you guys all the time. You're my only friends, after all."

Ino actually started sniffling at that. Sasuke lit a new cigarette.

Shikamaru spoke, suddenly. "We'll visit you. For your birthday."

Naruto's eyes lit up. "Oh, right! My birthday! Yeah, you guys have gotta do that! Then you can also see that Gaara is really nice—well, um. I mean, you'll see that Gaara's really... cool."

Sasuke shook his head. "Dobe."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at him. "Don't worry, teme. A few nights of having the mattress to yourself again, and everything'll be peachy."

Kiba sat down next to them as well. "Tch, Naruto. Always good for a surprise, huh?"

Iruka was silent, and Kakashi was watching now, his book forgotten in his hands. Ino was rubbing viciously at her eyes. Shikamaru and Shino were statues.

It occurred to Sasuke that, had they been different people from different backgrounds, and not whores that lived day-to-day, there would be a big group hug now.

But they weren't different people, so he stayed where he was and smoked.

Naruto finished packing up and began pulling the straps of his backpack closed.

Fucking hell, it was so _cold_.

°

Okay, one thing was clear as day.

Temari had some weird friends.

The pink-haired banshee that had burst in the door in the middle of Tenten and Temari's makeout session on the living room couch was still screaming around, though she had calmed down a bit by now.

Tenten was clearing away the dishes and only listening with half an ear. Temari was sitting at the kitchen table across from the pink-haired thing, nodding from time to time and looking generally really, really bored. Not that Ms. Pink Hair noticed. She was busy going down the list of her husband's most despicable traits for the tenth time in a row.

He didn't sound like the best guy on the planet, Tenten would give her that. But still, she had interrupted one really good make-out session---!

So, as far as she could gather from the mess of swearing and gesticulating that the banshee was producing, the husband had ended up sleeping with a teenage boy and was now demanding a divorce, and—and this seemed Ms. Pink Hair's main irritation—had actually introduced their kids to this teenage lover.

And, of course, they lived in the suburbs. Really, how much more stereotypic did it get?

Tenten slid the dishes into the dishwasher and, for lack of anything else to do, began making tea.

Temari cast her a slightly apologetic and amused glance, and Tenten made a belittling gesture.

The pink-haired thing took a break to breathe, and Temari interjected quickly, "Look, Tayuya—I'll drop you off at Kimimaro's place, and bring Tenten home too. I've got some stuff to shop and such."

Tayuya bit off the beginning of her next tirade and looked at Tenten fully for the first time since she'd been there—no matter that they'd actually eaten dinner together! "Oh! Okay, but I don't know whether that fucker Kimimaro will be home. He wasn't before, that's why I came here. I left my car at his place, the fucking thing ran out of power—it hadn't been on the damn loading station long enough." Then she giggled, one of those feminine, I'm-so-stupid giggles that drove Tenten crazy. "So... are you two actually, honest-to-fuck together? I had always figured you for the hit-and-run slut type, Temari!"

Temari shrugged neutrally. "We meet up."

Tenten smiled a bit at the cool reply. Temari was so hot.

Tauya laughed raucously. "You 'meet up', bitch? What the fuck is that supposed to mean? I can remember the one time we fucked, it wasn't any fucking 'meeting up'. It was a fuck and then end. And besides, I was fucking wasted on fucking ExxU. ExxU is the shit."

Now _that _made Tenten look at her. Okay, yeah, she was more than pretty. Beautiful, even. All that golden skin and those perfect curves. But still, she _talked _so much.

Whatever. If Temari liked it that way...

Tayuya was still talking. "Anyway, that's what Kimimaro said. But your fuck-buddy looks pretty fucking young... Turning into a pedophile, bitch?"

Temari laughed. "No. It's just Tenten."

Tenten smiled and asked. "So are we leaving? Because if we are, then I won't make the tea."

Temari nodded. "Yeah. Just let me put something on." She was wearing jeans and a sweater, and Tenten knew firsthand that she wasn't wearing any underwear at the moment. Which reminded her... she was wearing a long sweatshirt, and nothing else. "Yeah, I need to get dressed too."

They left Tayuya in the kitchen, and went to the bedroom to hunt down their clothes. As soon as they passed the doorway, Tenten muttered, "She sure likes to talk. About herself."

Temari laughed softly and slid her hands beneath Tenten's—well, her own—sweater, settling them on her hips and pulling her in for a kiss. She let her go, then said, "She sure does... I think your clothes are over there somewhere."

Tenten nodded. "Yeah, I can see my tank top."

Temari laughed. "It looks like a battlefield in here." She snagged a long-sleeved, tight V-neck sweater and a pair of slacks, and changed quickly. She caught Tenten's eye and grinned. "Too lazy to put underwear on."

Tenten laughed and shimmied out of the sweater, pulling on her jeans and her tank top and shivering in the sudden coolness. Her underwear had been nonexistent, so she was finished now.

Temari grabbed her coat from the bed and they returned to the kitchen: Tayuya was sitting, fidgeting, at the table, looking out the window with a frown of intense concentration. She looked up when they came in and said, "That fucker of a husband!"

Tenten tuned out the next repetition of the old story, going with the other two women to the entrance area and pulling her heels on automatically, wrapping her coat around herself and following a chattering Tayuya out into the cold stairwell. Temari caught her eye with a wry smile, and then they were out on the street, in the swiftly darkening evening with freezing wind howling through the narrow street and bringing tears to Tenten's eyes.

Tayuya broke off her sentence and screeched, "Fuck! It's gotta be like fucking one hundred out!"

The street was empty, and lights were burning in most of the apartment blocks' windows. The dumpster directly in front of Temari's apartment building was overflowing with what looked like construction stuff. Next to it, Temari's sleek red car looked utterly out of place.

They all tumbled into the car, and Temari said, "I'll get you home first, Tenten. Should I drop you off right there?"

Tenten looked at Tayuya, and said, "Sure."

°

There had been a silence for a while now, Ino getting out her cellphone and retreating to her and Tenten's nest. Shikamaru was back on his pile of blankets, though he was sitting up, and Shino and Kiba had crowded onto Naruto and Sasuke's mattress with the other two teens. Akamaru was sniffing at Naruto's knees.

The blonde didn't really seem in any hurry. He was petting Akamaru slowly, his eyes dark blue and pensive. Shino was relaxed in Kiba's hug, and the shaggy-haired boy was telling really bad jokes from time to time.

Sasuke was smoking.

Iruka had gone home with one last lecture for Naruto, and for once Kakashi hadn't followed him, staying seated in the alcove of his shop entrance. He spoke up now. "You know, it wasn't this intense when Sai left."

Sasuke snorted. "Yeah, but that's because Sai was an asshole."

Ino huffed a laugh from her corner. "And obsessed with genitals."

Naruto wrinkled his nose. "Glad I didn't meet him."

Kakashi winked at him. "You should be."

Sasuke threw his cigarette out beyond the awning, onto the sidewalk, and noticed the car coming up the street first. It was sleek, red, and looked like a customer's car. But it was too early for work, so Sasuke ignored it and lit another cig.

Kiba looked too, and whistled. "Wow, it's a classic!"

Kakashi snorted. "Boring."

Naruto yelled, "Yeah, cause for you only those perverted books are fun!"

The shopkeeper grinned. "Yup. And Iruka..."

"Ugh." The blonde muttered. "No images!"

The car stopped at the curb right in front of the Konoha, and surprisingly Tenten got out. Naruto slapped his forehead. "Oh duh. It's her girlfriend's car."

Oh, right... Sasuke had heard about that. Wasn't the woman Gaara's sister?

Tenten walked to the Konoha, smiling a greeting. "Hey... what's going on? Something looks weird."

Naruto laughed. "Yeah, Sasuke and my pile of shit is halved now."

The girl looked at him curiously. "Got into the cleaning mood?"

The blonde shook his head. "Nah, I'm leaving."

Tenten's eyes widened. "What? Why--"

A raucous voice sounded from the car. "I don't fucking believe it! It's the boywhore!"

Oh fuck. Sasuke knew that voice.

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Cliffie!

Yay!

Please review!


	31. Chapter 31

Hey! Here's chap 31, updated quickly!

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Suit Square

Tenten looked back at the car. Tayuya was climbing out, looking like the god of wrath himself. Her eyes were narrowed, and she looked like she'd begin hissing and spitting any moment now.

Tenten looked around the Konoha. The whores all looked really confused. Naruto's big grin had slipped a bit, and he was staring at Tayuya. Kakashi had stood up, and his book lay on the steps behind him.

Tayuya managed to get out of the car—Tenten could see Temari, exasperatedly pulling the key out of the ignition and readying herself to get out as well.

The pink-haired woman stormed onto the sidewalk and under the Konoha's awning, and stopped right in front of Sasuke.

"You slut!"

Sasuke was smoking, and now that Tenten really looked at him she could see that he seemed the slightest bit nervous. He glanced up at Tayuya, bending over him like an avenging angel, and said slowly, coldly, "What?"

Tayuya hissed at him. "You fucking heard what the fuck I said, slut! What the fuck is your problem?"

Sasuke got up now. "I don't have one."

No one was understanding this. Ino and Naruto were looking from woman to kid with wide eyes, Kiba was staring, Kakashi had retreated to the steps—only Shikamaru and Shino didn't seem interested.

Tenten felt Temari step up behind her, and turned to her. "Do you understand this?"

The woman shrugged. "No."

Tayuya reached out and grabbed Sasuke's cigarette, throwing it down.

Everyone who knew Sasuke froze.

Uh-oh.

No one touched Sasuke's cigarettes. Literally _no one_. It just wasn't done, unless you had a death wish. A very graphic death wish.

Sasuke's eyes gleamed red, and he started to say something, but Tayuya beat him to it. "So you're the fucker who put the burn on my fucking perfume bottle! Who fucking drank half my fucking stash! Who—Who, ggraagh! You're the _slut_ that fucked my husband in _my fucking bed_!"

Naruto fell over. Ino choked. Kiba made a strangled sound that was reminiscent of a puppy dying. Kakashi started chuckling. Shino and Shikamaru didn't care, and Tenten staggered back into Temari.

Sasuke just said, "So?"

Tayuya screeched and yelled, "You fucker!"

Sasuke smiled. "Yeah. That's my job, bitch."

Tayuya made a strangled snarling hissing noise and said, "You think I'm just going to fucking hand my husband and my kids over to you on a fucking platter of fucking silver? Huh?"

The tennager shrugged and lit another cigarette. Tayuya slapped this one out of his hand, too, and a collective sucking in of breath could be heard.

Sasuke slapped her. Hard.

Tayuya staggered back, looked at him incredulously, and released the loudest, vilest string of curses Tenten had ever heard. "...fucking slut bitch asshole motherfucking piece of shit asshole cunt fucking hell..."

Temari stepped up to the woman and said, "Come on, Tayuya, I'll take you to Kimimaro's place."

Sasuke chuckled coldly. "Yeah, bitch. Go home to your fucktoy." He looked angrier than Tenten had ever seen him.

Tayuya began to lash out, but Temari caught her hand and said, "Come on. This doesn't make any sense."

The pink-haired woman hissed, "Fucking slut," one last time, and then Temari had her in the car.

°

Well, that had gone just perfectly.

He could hit himself! Gah!

Damn bitch! Why did she have to come here?

He realized that the Konoha was still silent, and looked up to face all the confused and curious eyes. "What?"

Kakashi laughed. "So now the mystery is cleared up! Sasuke's been having fun with a married man!"

Sasuke was so pissed. One more remark and he was going to...

"Pedophilia, anyone?" Kiba joked.

... explode.

Sasuke got up and punched Kiba square in the jaw. "Shut up."

Shino caught Kiba in time, and gave Sasuke a cold look. "Stop it, Sasuke."

The shaggy-haired boy groaned softly and grumbled, "Damn, learn to take a joke, dude. Fuck, but you can really hit hard. Ow."

Sasuke sat back down, next to Naruto. The blonde boy was looking at him expressionlessly, and after a few moments of it Sasuke said again, louder, "_What_?"

Naruto jumped a little, then his mouth quirked into a grin. "Heh. Teme."

A hand tousled his hair, and he started. Tenten grinned down at him. "Looks like you followed my advice, man." She went to the nest she shared with Ino, and told the blonde girl, "Quit that. You look like a fish."

Ino's mouth snapped closed. She looked at Sasuke hard, then smiled a little and turned back to her cellphone game.

Kakashi closed his book and said, "I'm going to Iruka's. He's missed a lot! Naruto—I'll see you around, kid. Sasuke--" he grinned. "Heh. What is there to say..."

"Fuck off!" Sasuke snapped.

Kakashi chuckled and headed off down the street.

"Hey! Why didn't he get punched?" Kiba demanded, grinning again already.

Sasuke sighed and lit a cig. "Damn."

Naruto's arms wrapped around him all of a sudden, and big blue eyes looked into his for a second. "Good for you, man." The blonde grinned, and got up. "I'm gonna go, too. See you guys soon!"

"Yeah, on your birthday!" Tenten called.

Naruto nodded, slid his backpack onto his shoulder, and walked away.

Sasuke watched him go and wondered whether anything else could happen today. He really, really hoped not. His head would explode.

°

Gaara's apartment was cool, though not as cold as the dark stairwell, and no lights were on. Naruto slipped off his shoes and dropped his backpack onto the tatami of the corridor. He stood in the gloom and felt his stomach tickle with the feeling that he got whenever he was somewhere where he felt like he'd never been before.

It was evening already, and he peeked into the kitchen. He didn't know when Gaara would come home, and he didn't know whether there was anything here that he could cook—he couldn't cook much—so he went to the bedroom and sat down on the futon. After a while, he was lying down.

He didn't feel bad. Just... different.

The trees outside the windows were half-dead already, from the cold and the wind. One of the windows was open a bit, and he could hear the sounds of virtvision, of clanging pots and dishes, of murmuring voices. The tatami around him creaked from time to time, and the sheets made a swishing sound whenever he shifted.

The thing with Sasuke had been... enlightening. Naruto didn't blame the husband for sleeping with someone else, if his wife was like that, and God knew that there were way worse people to sleep with than Sasuke. And Sasuke was happy, if that damn half-smile he'd been wearing for ages meant anything.

Naruto scratched his head. Damn. He'd miss them all.

So, a new job, and stuff.

Dude! He had to go visit Haku!

He hadn't seen him for weeks now!

Naruto grinned. Well, he'd have stuff to fill his time. He always managed to find something to do.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something move, and turned.

"Shit, don't do that! You know that freaks me out, man!"

Gaara gave him his dangerous half-smile, and moved into the room, dropping his jacket next to the futon and sitting down next to the blonde's prone form. He glanced towards Naruto's backpack, and back at the teen.

Naruto grinned wider. "I moved in, just so you know. You never really told me whether you wanted me to or not, so I decided for you."

Gaara's lips twitched, and he leaned down, his mouth hot on Naruto's neck and his teeth sharp. He bit down hard, and Naruto moaned. The blonde moved closer to the redhead, arching. "Gaara, I--"

Gaara chuckled under his breath and the knife appeared from somewhere, slicing through Naruto's shirt and into his belly. Naruto cried out and wrapped his arms around Gaara's neck, trying to pull him towards him. Fuck, he loved this feeling, the blood sliding down his skin and Gaara hard and strong against him--

The redhead shifted, pinning Naruto down and his body moving fully onto the futon. He pushed Naruto's shirt up and dug a white-hot scratch above the blonde's hipbone. The knife carved up, over Naruto's belly and stopping at his nipple. Gaara's eyes met his, heavy and challenging.

Naruto whimpered. He was drowning again—he hadn't had this feeling for a while, the sensation of being tugged down into green, green heavy water that tugged at him and wanted him whole. He felt the knife cut into his nipple and nearly screamed, muffling it in Gaara's sweater. His eyes squeezed shut, and he felt his whole body stiffen and shiver, his heart pounding.

Gaara snarled softly and forced Naruto's face up, his eyes meeting his again and holding them. Naruto was panting, his body needing more and more of—something--

Gaara's free hand slid into Naruto's hair, almost hurting him. The knife slid further up, scraping over his collarbone and slicing a thin line across his throat before wandering back downwards.

Naruto moaned. "Fuck, Gaara—please, just--"

The redhead snarled softly. He moved back, the knife leaving Naruto's skin, and the blonde whimpered. "What--"

The redhead almost smiled in the half-dark and sat back. Naruto looked down at him, confused. A tug at his jeans enlightened him, and he raised his hips to let Gaara pull them down. The redhead came closer again, the shed jeans rustling as they slid off the futon. Gaara settled himself between Naruto's legs.

Their eyes caught again, and this time, for some reason, Naruto looked away. It felt... as if this were his first time or something.

Weird.

He gasped and looked back at Gaara as the knife cut into his thigh. The redhead snarled again, amused.

Naruto really, really wanted Gaara inside him. He _needed_ him inside him. "Gaara--"

The redhead leaned forward, and Naruto felt his teeth sink into his throat, sharp and hot. "Ah!"

One of Gaara's hands was at his pants, unfastening them. Naruto arched into him, moaning. "Please, just—hurry up, I--"

Gaara chuckled into his neck, his breath warm and tickling. Naruto shivered and thrust upwards, heat everywhere, running through him and exploding in his groin and his lower back, like a bomb or something--

Gaara thrust into him without a warning, one hand supporting him on the futon and the other drawing lazy bloody circles on Naruto's chest, the blade slipping when he was fully inside and jerking to the side.

Naruto moaned. "Oh God, Gaara..." He was so hard and hot and --

The redhead's eyes were darker than ever, holding Naruto's gaze. His breathing was the slightest bit faster than usual, and as he pulled back and thrust Naruto saw his eyes close halfway. It looked so erotic that the blonde almost came on the spot--

"Gaara!"

Gaara thrust hard and deep, over and over again and Naruto could barely keep from screaming at each new burst of pain and then wash of pleasure, the heat coiling tight and flaming in his back--

He spread his legs further, needing _more_--

The knife sliced into his side as Gaara thrust hard enough to make Naruto lose his grip on the sheets. The blonde shrieked and wrapped his arms around strong white shoulders, raising his hips to meet the next thrust, his eyes closing and his breathing ragged.

Gaara was panting harshly now, his mouth hot on Naruto's skin as he dropped the knife and gripped the blonde's hip hard, his body heavy and tense over him as he slammed into him again--

Naruto groaned. "Shit, you're so—good, I need--"

Gaara snarled almost desperately and thrust even harder, his hand tightening on Naruto's hip as he angled himself just so and hit _that_ spot with all of his strength.

Naruto's eyes snapped wide open, and he let out a choked scream, thrusting his hips up helplessly as his climax crashed over him in a wave of unbearable heat and bliss.

Gaara gasped into his temple and pulled back, his cock slamming into Naruto once, twice, three times--

"_Naruto!"_

Naruto moaned softly at the quiet, breathless snarl, and relaxed, accepting Gaara into himself one last time.

Gaara didn't seem in the usual hurry to let go of him, and Naruto lay under him and let his breathing calm.

"Love you, Gaara."

Gaara hissed something that sounded like his name, and began to slide out of him. Naruto tightened his embrace. "No, come on. Stay for a bit. At least, as long as I can kind of take it."

The redhead looked down at him, and in the gloom Naruto wasn't sure whether he was smiling or not, but he hoped so.

Gaara snarled in amusement and nipped at Naruto's ear.

Naruto laughed. He felt really, really good. His blood was drying on his belly and chest, and he felt itchy and sticky on his thighs and abdomen. He was warm and comfortable, with Gaara still inside him and his calm body on top of him.

The wind outside was rustling through the dead-ish trees, and the dishes downstairs had stopped ringing. The virtvision sounds still floated up, and someone was fighting somewhere. The room was dark and bluish-black shadows were everywhere, moving with the trees outside.

Naruto groaned. It was starting to hurt. "Okay... you can get out now."

Gaara chuckled softy and slid out of him. Naruto winced. "Agh."

The redhead moved away from him, and Naruto sighed inwardly. Damn, why did he always have to--

Gaara came back, and pulled the comforter over both of them with an easy flick of his hand.

Naruto laughed. "Thanks, man."

He curled up, welcoming the ache between his legs, and fell asleep next to Gaara's warm, still body.

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Okaaay?

Was it good?

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	32. Chapter 32

Chap 32...

Randomness: Xandria, 'Mermaid'

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Suit Square

"Hey girls." The man's voice sounded slightly deranged. He was tallish and bulky beneath a grey windbreaker, the flashing lights gleaming red and white off of the rain-slick plastic. Behind him, Whore Street was full into rush hour, soft voices murmuring prices and offers, wet shining cars muscling their way to the curb through the steadily flooding street. It was early morning already, the sky dark and clear above them.

It was really cold. The wind was stronger now, and the rain came down as sharp pins and needles.

"Sorry, but we're on our break just now. Wait a few minutes and you can have us, okay?" Tenten had been on her feet and back for almost four hours, and she needed a drink and one of Ino's long thin lady cigarettes. The girls only smoked on the job, the weak little nicotine flashes waking them up and brightening their moods.

The guy shook his head. He had his hood pulled up, and Tenten could only see silver hair spilling from beneath it, lank and drenched. "I don't want you. I'm looking for Naruto."

Tenten blew out sharp cigarette smoke and felt the aftertaste of the whiskey she was sharing with Ino slither warmly down her throat, along with the sting of the smoke. "He no longer works here. Sorry. You could always get Sasuke, he should be back soon. He's good too."

Fuck, Naruto was gone! It was weird not to have him grinning and laughing and joking.

The man shook his head more violently. "_No._ I want Naruto."

Tenten took another drag of the long slim cigarette in order to hide her nervousness. This guy had a real problem. She glanced surreptitiously around the Konoha.

Kiba and Shino were in their corner under their blanket. Kiba was asleep, but Shino was sitting upright, and though Tenten couldn't see his eyes through the glasses, she hoped he was paying attention. Because she sure as hell couldn't count on Ino.

The blonde girl was wearing her usual winter outfit, a fluffy white jacket beneath a tightly laced black corset. Her jeans looked painted on, and her boots were pointy and stiletto-heeled. Her hair lay like a curtain of golden silk over her back and one shoulder. She had the whiskey bottle and a cigarette in her hands, and was completely wasted. She'd already drunk earlier today, after all, and gotten intoxicated enough then. And then she'd had some of her weed, and now the whiskey—the girl was _gone_, as in off the planet.

Tenten was counting on Shino's supposed attention. She looked at the guy and said firmly, "Naruto no longer works here, mister. You can always go to Sasuke, Gai or Lee. They're all good too."

The man rolled his shoulders and tensed. He bowed his head a bit, and hissed, "Where is Naruto? I don't believe he quit."

Tenten was about to go ask Shino to help her out, when a shiny black head of hair appeared. Lee flashed the people under the awning a worried frown, his massive eyebrows furrowed, and asked loudly, "Is it true that Naruto, my youthful companion, has moved in with his boyfriend? Please tell me it is not true!"

The weirdo stiffened and muttered something quiet and deadly-sounding beneath his breath. Tenten thought she heard "Gaara," but couldn't be sure. He turned on his heel and stalked off down the blinking and flashing street.

Lee repeated his question, and Tenten said, "Yes, Naruto's gone," in a preoccupied tone. Lee's statement had made the guy think of something... this didn't look good, not at all.

Lee made a horrified sound. "Oh no! He is truly gone?"

Tenten focused her attention on the bowlcut-boy and said, "Yeah. But don't worry, we're going to visit him for his birthday and all."

The other kid nodded solemnly. "That's good, then..."

"Lee!"

The boy turned, and his mouth split into a wide grin. "Master Gai!"

Gai was standing a little way down the curb, and Lee hurried off to him, throwing a parting, "See you later!" over one green-clad shoulder.

Tenten half-raised a hand and let it drop. The thing with the weirdo was really worrying her--

Ino pushed the whiskey bottle into her hand, and the black-haired girl decided that it could all wait.

°

Naruto woke up early. It was still dark, and the bed was empty. A dim rectangle of light fell into the bedroom from across the corridor—Gaara was up.

The blonde pulled on a t-shirt and jeans, shivering—one of the windows was open for fresh air, and the cold blue night air sighed in. He stepped out of the bedroom and crossed into the living room, grinning at the redhead on the couch. "Why do you always get up so early?"

Gaara almost shrugged and looked up at him.

Naruto sat down. "Man, this is going to be weird for the first few days."

Gaara's lips twitched. "No it won't." he said in his icy voice.

Naruto glanced at him. "Tch."

The redhead reached out and slid a hand into Naruto's hair, his fingers threading through the strands hard enough to twinge. Naruto sighed a little and leaned towards the redhead, muttering, "Weird that I like pain so much with you."

Gaara chuckled under his breath.

Naruto started suddenly. "Oh, right! I forgot to tell you!"

Gaara shifted slightly.

Naruto grinned. "My friends from Whore are going to come here for my birthday. Throw a party thing."

Gaara's lips slid up into a very slight, amused smile. "Oh."

Naruto shrugged. "It'll be fun."

Silence fell, and Naruto fell asleep curled next to Gaara, who moved only to bring his vodka glass to his lips. The sun rose slowly and late.

°

Gaara was gone when Naruto woke up, and he wondered why he hadn't noticed the redhead leaving. He got up and made himself tea. Once he was sitting at the kitchen table, a weird little squirming feeling rose up in his stomach.

He was living with Gaara, for real.

Wow.

He drank his tea and his mind drifted off.

He should visit Haku.

... he had to get a job. He had no idea how much the place cost, and how much Gaara made--

He glanced at the blinking numbers on the stove. It was eleven. He'd slept pretty late.

Could he even get a job? He didn't know if you could legally work with fourteen. And if, what could he do.

Dude. This was going to take some thinking.

Well, he'd get there somehow.

He got up and went to the bathroom to shower. It was cool in the whole apartment, and the thin light fell in weak rectangles.

He dressed and left, snagging some cel-chips and his jacket on the way out. The stairwell was loud—someone had left their door open, and a few kids were playing on the landing. Loud voices sounded from inside the apartment, and music was playing—mod-techno.

Naruto glanced in. It was the same set-up as Gaara's apartment, with a corridor and doors leading off it. A young man, maybe in his twenties, wearing a sweater and jeans and holding a magazine, was standing in the doorway of what Naruto guessed to be the kitchen. He was grinning, and Naruto could easily assume that his wife or whatever was inside the room.

The kids playing on the landing looked up as he passed, and then quickly returned to their game of marbles. They were all different ages, blonde like the man inside, and chubby.

Naruto continued downstairs, zipping his jacket up before going outside.

Gah! Freezing!

The wind was really sharp and cold, and it looked like the scruffy grass that served for the lawn of the family block had died of the cold. Naruto hurried to the bus stop and got onto the line to Slum.

°

"It's great to see you again!" Haku smiled. He was smoking, leaning on his elbows on the table. The bar was smoky and half-empty.

The dark-haired kid was wearing his usual velvety red coat with tight jeans and a turtleneck. His hair slid over his shoulders, shimmering black. He wasn't wearing a bruise for once, and a bright red kiss mark showed above the collar of his sweater.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, really."

Haku flagged down the bartender, who gave them a glare before shuffling over. "A beer for me, and..."

"Make it two beer."

Haku smiled at the blonde once the server was gone. "Beer? I thought you didn't drink except on the job. It's always made you tired."

Naruto grinned. "Yeah, but I don't work anymore."

The delicate kid's eyes widened. "Wow. Really? Why not? Since when?"

"Since yesterday. I... uh, I moved in with Gaara."

Haku looked delighted. "Cool!"

Naruto shrugged, trying not to grin wider. "And you? How're you doing?"

Haku tapped the ash of the end of his cigarette. He smiled slightly. "As always. Zabuza's been drinking a bit less, so it's rather peaceful at the moment."

"Yeah, you look so bruiseless!"

The dark-haired boy laughed. "Yeah, amazing isn't it?"

The drinks came.

Naruto sipped at his beer and said, "My friends from Whore are throwing me a party on my birthday. Wanna come?"

Haku looked hesitant, but then he said, "Well... I guess, if Zabuza can come too. You know how he is."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, of course."

The other kid reached out suddenly and pinched Naruto's nose. "So—how is it with the Sandman?"

Naruto winced and broke away. "Man! Watch it—oh. Yeah, it's awesome."

Haku laughed.

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here ya go.

Please review, seems too choppy to me.


	33. Chapter 33

OH MY GOD.

IT **WORKED.**

IT TOOK ME **FOUR DAYS** TO GET THIS CHAPTER UP!!!

**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!**

OK, all better now, let's get on with it.

°

Ohmigod.

300 REVIEWS!!!

AWESOME!!!

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Oh, and sorry that my review replies for the last few chaps have been sporadic. I'll get back on track with this one.

Okaaay, here we go.

Randomness: Marylin Manson, 'Long Hard Road Out of Hell'.

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Suit Square

Kabuto didn't seem to be coming.

Sasuke had been waiting for thirty-three minutes, and though the man was often late, he'd never been _this _late.

Suit Square was empty, the icy cold driving everyone but the hobos indoors. The coffee shops around the square, nestled in the lowest floor of the tall glass and steel buildings, looked full and warm and inviting in the piercing wind.

The homeless were huddled between the concrete walls of the park, trying their best to stay out of the wind. A stick-thin girl dressed in almost nothing was curled up on the bus stop bench, and the three or four suits standing under the concrete roof of the hut were carefully avoiding looking at her.

He shifted. His hands itched for a cigarette; he'd emptied his pack, and he was contemplating going into one of the coffee shops in order to get a new one from the machines. Five more minutes, and he would.

_That's what you said five minutes ago_. The voice muttered. It sounded sad.

Sasuke ignored it and glared down at the ground, scuffing his boot against the cracked pavement.

It was pretty screwed up that Kabuto was this late the day after he'd...

... said a lot of—_stuff_.

Tch. Yesterday had been pretty intense.

And that _bitch!_ Showing up at Whore and screaming around like the shithead she was--!

Ugh.

He'd woken up cold this morning. He had been waking up cold ever since Naruto had started sleeping at Gaara's, but somehow today it had been colder.

Lee had shown up at around twelve to play cards and wail about Naruto's leaving. The others had gotten him to calm down after a little while, though it still took some prompting to get the black-haired kid's mind on Neji and thus off Naruto.

Sasuke felt strange.

_Sad_, the voice supplied, and a large part of Sasuke admitted to it.

The other part was angry.

He felt his eyes sting—the red stuff was going away.

It always felt frightening when his eyes shifted from mood to mood; the red flashes hurt after a while, too. He didn't usually pay it much mind, but right now...

Ugh. He was so pathetic! Kabuto was late, he wasn't coming, and Sasuke needed cigarettes.

He moved towards the crossroads.

°

"I really don't get it. Man, Tayuya was crying her eyes out last night at Kimimaro's, and when Kidomaro finally came to pick her up, it got even worse—Are you honestly thinking of a divorce?"

The four other techies aside from Sakon and Kabuto in the room turned their heads as one.

Kabuto adjusted his glasses and typed a line of code. "Yes."

Sakon looked incredulous. He leaned forward. "And is it really because of a _boy_?"

Kabuto really wanted a blunt, heavy object just now. He heard the collective gasps of shock around the room, saw the outrage in Sakon's gray eyes, the set of his slim lips--

"_Yes._"

Another round of gasp and nervous shifting, and suddenly, Asuma, the techie sitting at the desk next to theirs, asked, "And you think it's worth it?"

Kabuto sighed inwardly. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Man, it's a _teenager! _He's not going to have a very long attention span." Sakon answered.

Kabuto didn't even deign to answer to that piece of worthless stereotyping. Sasuke? Having a short attention span? That was a good joke.

Though it was true that he was impatient, and that he got easily irritated... but so did Kabuto. He just hid it better.

Yesterday had been possibly the most impulsive day in his life since the time he'd decided to marry Tayuya, and he had a much better feeling about the further developments of all this that he'd had about the prospect of marriage. Seeing Sasuke shocked and moved—though he hadn't admitted it, stubborn as he was—had been more than enough to dispel any doubts.

And despite Kabuto's assurances to the contrary, he _did _want commitment from the teen. But Sasuke was skittish, and he'd be patient about that.

At least, he'd try to be patient.

The office had erupted into conversation about Kabuto's actions. Asuma was smoking and looking at Kabuto with a strange expression on his face. Sakon was still trying to make Kabuto feel guilty by going on and on about Tayuya's terrible night.

The others were muttering amongst themselves, occasionally calling to Sakon for any necessary tidbit of information that they'd missed.

Kabuto rubbed the bridge of his nose and leaned back in his chair, watching Sakon preach on and on.

"... and it was midnight by the time she stopped crying, and..."

Kabuto looked at the watch, suddenly realizing...

Oh shit.

He left to a snide remark from Sakon about his 'boy toy', and if he'd had time he would have turned back and done something about it, but he didn't, so he had to settle for slamming the door. Hard.

°

Kabuto looked around the square. There were bums, businessmen, businesswomen, and two large, very pregnant housewives laden with groceries under the bus stop hut. No Sasuke.

Shit.

He vaguely hoped that Sasuke was also late, but somehow he doubted it.

Fuck!

He'd really wanted to see him, but then he always wanted to see him--

It was icy.

A bus came coughing up. The businesspeople at the bus stop piled in, a couple of the bums did as well. A gaggle of teens, wearing shiny short jackets, tight pants and skirts, and those bright, irritating shoes, hurried out, giggling and loud. They looked like they were going to the virtcinema.

Kabuto watched them, still angry at himself for letting himself be distracted by his colleagues' bickering disapproval.

They looked around Sasuke's age, and struck Kabuto as... pathetic?

He didn't know why, exactly. They were interesting enough in their own right, loud and brash and indifferent.

What did Sasuke have that any other teenager didn't?

He was icy cold, and silent—but what else?

Kabuto looked up at the teens, who hadn't moved from their spot at the curb. They were staring his way. The girls were giggling, and as Kabuto watched, two of them pranced towards and past him in all their plasticine glory.

He half-turned, amused.

Sasuke was smoking, as always, walking towards Kabuto with his eyes spinning red. His lips were set angrily around his cigarette, his pale skin harshly illuminated by the cold light. His coat was open over the usual jeans and sweatshirt.

The girls had reached the kid by now, and Kabuto watched them murmur something to him.

Sasuke raised his hand and took his cigarette out of his mouth, giving the girls an irritated glare and saying something soft and deadly.

They hurried back to their gaggle of friends, looking heartbroken. The group erupted into whispers.

Sasuke stopped in front of Kabuto.

The man's lips twitched. "That wasn't very nice."

"You're fucking late." He was really angry—or worried?

Kabuto nodded. "Colleagues."

Sasuke grunted and took a last drag of his cigarette, dropping it and grinding it out. "Now what?"

"We'll go to my place."

Sasuke reached into his coat pocket and took out a dark blue pack of cigarettes. He tapped on the bottom of the package, pushing some of the cigarettes out, and caught one between his lips. He replaced the pack and produced his plastic lighter, clicking out the flame with his free hand hovering protectively over it. A long plume of smoke blew away on the wind, and the lighter disappeared into his pockets.

The red circles had slowed. "Are we going now, or what?"

Kabuto smiled sardonically. "Impatient."

"Tch. It's freezing, man."

The teens had left.

°

Yeah, yeah, so he was happy. Well—happy was a strong word. He was... glad. Yes. Glad that Kabuto had showed up after all, because if not then Sasuke would have been standing there on Suit Square for half an hour in the freezing cold for absolutely no reason at all.

Ugh. Those girls had been annoying.

He took a deep drag of his cigarette and looked over at Kabuto.

The man was concentrating on the street, his fingers tapping on the the steering wheel to the music playing on the stereo. His glasses glinted in the cool light.

It suddenly struck Sasuke how much taller the man actually was. At least a head bigger. He had nice shoulders, broad and straight, and he was slender in a lean, sinewy way.

His hair was bound into its usual ponytail. Sasuke's eyes caught on green-gray in the rear view mirror, and Kabuto's thin lips curved into a slight, amused smile.

Tch. He knew him far too well.

Sasuke looked out the window, inhaling sharp smoke. The streets were very empty these days, but there was still enough traffic for lines to form now and then. It had started to drizzle; the rainy pre-winter was starting.

"The kids?"

"They're with Chouji."

The babysitter. Huh. Didn't he have school? He was Sasuke's age after all, and he seemed to live in the suburbs—so logically he should be going to school...

Tch, who cared?

The car turned into the suburbs, businesses, restaurants and such giving way to rows and rows of exactly the same houses. Kabuto's hands sounded dry on the steering wheel. The music was Sasuke's sort of thing, hard and fast and dissonant.

The driveway was empty, and Sasuke flinched a bit as he got out to cold drops of moisture. The concrete was splotched with dark spots of water, and the dying plants on the porch—now also frozen stiff—were getting soaked through.

Kabuto locked the car, following Sasuke up the driveway and the steps to the door.

Sasuke wondered, dryly, whether he should tell him about his wife's appearance at Whore.

They made it into the warmth of the house, closed the door, and before Sasuke had even started unlacing his boots he found himself pressed up against the door with Kabuto's mouth hot and violent on his.

°

"Ah shit--"

"Am I hurting you? I – fuck..."

Sasuke winced. He'd had too many customers in too cold weather yesterday, and he was sore. But not sore enough to not love this. "Just—come on. It doesn't hurt—ah!"

Kabuto groaned softly and pushed fully into Sasuke, forcing a strangled cry from him. He kissed him deeply, muttering, "How the hell do you stay so..."

Sasuke's hands moved from smooth, tense shoulders to lock behind Kabuto's neck.

"So what?" he asked huskily, his legs spreading further, rustling on the sheets, to ease the burn between them.

Kabuto's breath hitched at the movement, and his hands tightened on Sasuke's thighs. "So fucking tight," he panted, his eyes dark and hot behind his glasses.

Sasuke arched a little. "Move, dammit."

Kabuto lowered his head, his breath hot on Sasuke's neck, and gripped his thighs hard, pulling back and --

Sasuke gasped. It always felt this good, and he never knew why—somehow Kabuto always thrust just _there_, always sent waves of pleasure shivering through Sasuke's body--

The man hissed. "Sasuke..."

Sasuke tightened his grip around the man's neck and whispered, just short of sobbing, "Don't fucking stop."

Kabuto's reply was a husky murmur that sent shudders through Sasuke's spine. "I won't."

"Ah--"

Kabuto thrust, harder and harder and faster and faster and so _good_---

Sasuke was crying for some reason, moisture welling up and blurring his vision, and heat was flaring in his groin and lower back, knotting and tensing. He gasped with each new slam of Kabuto's hips, whimpering and begging for more of whatever Kabuto could give him, of anything --

The man's eyes were molten stone, a soft deep gray. He was panting softly, his body moving smoothly inside Sasuke's, slamming into him with more and more violence, his rhythm faltering--

Skin slid against skin, hot and sweaty and pale, and Sasuke sobbed Kabuto's name as pleasure rose within him, rose and then crashed through him, his eyesight flashing bright white for a second before he collapsed on the bed.

°

Kabuto slid out of the teen carefully, leaning on one elbow over Sasuke's slim white form.

Sasuke's eyes were half-lidded, the red rings spinning lazily, deep black gazing out the balcony window. His skin shone with sweat, his hair messy and wild. His muscles, long and lean, tensed and relaxed as he raised his cigarette to his kiss-bruised, pale lips. The barest hint of a flush lingered on his sharp cheekbones, and small red marks trailed from his jaw to his torso.

Kabuto followed the sharp lines of the teen's chest, the small dark nipples, the dip in the middle of his stomach. His hipbones pressed against his skin, his long thighs slightly spread, one leg still hooked around Kabuto.

He spoke, blowing smoke past Kabuto's face. "Your wife came to Whore Street yesterday."

Kabuto stiffened. "What?"

Sasuke raised one shoulder in a noncommittal shrug, and inhaled more smoke. He was quiet for a long time, and Kabuto started to get edgy about the fact that he wasn't exhaling when he blew out the smoke along with, "She was drunk, I think. She screamed around a lot."

Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "That woman! How dare she--"

Sasuke watched him, his lips in a half-smile.

Kabuto looked away."Well—I'm doing the divorce thing tomorrow after work, so we can't meet. If you want..."

Sasuke looked at him, his slim brows raised. "What?"

"You could come here. And wait for me. Chouji will be here with the children."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. His lips curved into a wry smile. "Kabuto, you asshole."

Kabuto chuckled and pressed a kiss on a pale smooth shoulder, tasting salt.

Sasuke watched him, red spinning over black in his eyes and smoke curling from his nostrils. He shook his head slightly. "I'll wait here."

Kabuto smiled against his shoulder, and then he asked, "Do you like your job?"

Sasuke raised himself on his elbows to grind out his cigarette in the ashtray on the bedside table. He lay back down, plucked a new cigarette from his now half-empty pack, and lit it. His eyes were averted, watching the cigarette tip as it smoldered red in the gloomy light from the balcony.

Kabuto realized that he wouldn't be getting a reply, and started to move away.

Sasuke's free hand caught his arm. He looked at him, impassive. "It's a job."

Kabuto nodded, amused but somehow feeling angry.

Sasuke sat up, a knee angled up. He rested his chin on it. "My colleague... my friend... quit yesterday. He moved in with his boyfriend."

Kabuto reached out and ran a hand through raven spikes, grinning. "Is that a hint? Are you thinking of following his example?"

Sasuke scoffed. "Have you ever heard of the Sandman?"

The man looked at him incredulously. "Who hasn't?"

"Well, that's his boyfriend."

Kabuto stared. "You're joking."

Sasuke laughed dryly. "Nope. So, no, I'm not planning on following his example."

Kabuto kissed him. "Stupid kid."

°

No, he didn't think he could work in a bookstore... he couldn't read for a long time. It gave him headaches.

Salesperson? In a clothes store?

Hell no!

Ugh, this was hard.

Naruto looked up from his magazine and out of the bus windows. It was raining pretty hard by now.

Haku had stayed out with him for a bit, and then they'd parted ways. Naruto had picked up a City magazines at a newsstand near the bus stop on Slum, and now he was on his way... home.

He leaned back in the cramped seat and wedged his foot between the wall and the seat in front of him, stretching out and peering up at the magazine.

Babysitting, babysitting, babysitting...

_Really _not his thing. The kids'd be dead by the end of the first time.

... cleaning.

He could do that.

He ripped into the page, marking it so that he could find the ad again, and went on leafing through.

A loud 'ping' sounded through the bus, and the announcement came in a cool, computer-programmed voice--'Fifty-fourth Park'.

He stood up and made his way to the exit. The bus smelled of wet hair and soaked clothes, and everyone looked miserable. Two housewives and a little boy were standing at the exit already, and Naruto gripped at one of the stinking metal poles to steady himself as the bus ran through a massive puddle. The little boy—he must have been around six—opened his mouth in an elated grin as they water splashed up the windows.

The bus screeched to a halt, and Naruto followed the heavily laden housewives out into the wet and the cold. The family blocks rose high above all of them, and they squelched over the scraggly yellow, frozen lawn to the row of tall sterile buildings. Naruto fished out his key, wrinkling his nose at the smell in front of his family block's entrance—someone had left their garbage standing there.

The stairwell was cold and gray, and the murmur of speaking people and playing virtvision and the ring of dishes and glasses sounded throughout it. He dragged his feet up, grimacing. He'd never really liked stairs very much.

The apartment was warm and darkish, and Naruto set water on for tea, continuing to flick through the ads.

He didn't notice a _thing_.

The hand on his mouth came suddenly and unexpectedly, and he couldn't struggle at all. Whoever it was was way too strong. Naruto made a few strangled noises, and then froze. Somehow... he knew this guy...

"What, little fox? Scared?"

Naruto gasped.

Mizuki tightened his grip on him. "So many lucky coincidences... That my colleague is the one stealing you from me! If it hadn't been for my working with him, I would have never found you..."

The blonde squirmed. "Mmmph!"

Shit, no! How the hell had he--

Mizuki reached for the magazine and chuckled, "Ah, so you only belong to me now? No more whoring? That's good. I don't like to share."

Naruto felt a hand slide beneath his t-shirt, and swallowed a scream.

Shit--

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This is for **ROCK MY BOX: **mrs. connell is going to ACCIDENTALLY fall off of the belle Chasse bridge"

Sorry that its not in the story itself...but, yeah.

Ok!

Please give me feedback, its 5:30 AM!!!!


	34. Chapter 34

Okay, so we're over the annoyance with the uploader.

I want to thank some reviewers for their help: First of all, **Arie Date**, because she ROCKS—and yes, I am going to use your idea. I just switched the order of the events... And of course **ROCK MY BOX, **who was all impatient to read chap 33 and whipped me into hurrying up with finishing it...!!!

And as always, my two lovely non-ff-netters, **BAMBI **and the delicious **Tenka-chan**... XD I love you guys!!!...though I really wish you had ff-net-accounts, then I could PM you and shit... but oh well.

So, after the last evil cliffie... here's chapter 34!!!

...and for once, no randomness, because I'm too lazy to put on my Winamp.

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Suit Square

Naruto fell hard onto the kitchen floor.

It was icy in the kitchen, the window standing wide open and the cold air rushing in. The floor was freezing beneath him, and he would have moved or stood or _anything_ if he would have been able to.

Mizuki crouched down in front of him. A few of Naruto's hairs were still tangled in the fingers of his right hand. His murky eyes were hot and slimy on the blonde's bare skin. He smiled, too widely for it to be a sane expression.

Naruto flinched back as the man reached for him again. Dammit, he'd already had him twice! Couldn't he just _leave? _Naruto wouldn't be able to stand this for much longer... he wasn't even sure whether he was standing it now...

He gasped in pain as Mizuki grabbed him and pushed him up against the wall. Shit, he _hurt_. All over, and the worst... he cried out, his voice already raw and rough from the cold and the pain and the screaming. He hadn't cried yet, thank whatever...

The man thrust into him all at once, and Naruto felt himself tear as he hadn't since the first few times with Gaara.

... but he didn't think it would take very long till he _would_ start bawling.

He tensed, his muscles snapping taut and his teeth biting through his lower lip as he tried to keep his scream from escaping. He nearly managed it, only a small whimper slipping from him as Mizuki leaned down and kissed him hard.

Naruto closed his eyes tightly, feeling moisture well up as Mizuki's mouth descended on his, hot and wet and violating--

He was sticky and wet all over, and he could feel more warm fluid ooze down his thighs as Mizuki pounded into him again, his eyes wild and dark. His hands were heavy on Naruto's waist, his mouth had moved to the blonde's shoulder, kissing and sucking at his skin. As he pulled away, Naruto felt himself shiver, the wet skin cold in the air.

Naruto was trying not to concentrate on the figure above him—his eyes roamed the kitchen, closing tight each time Mizuki thrust again, blinking away tears and focusing on anything, everything—the water boiler, the cold gleaming steel of the sink, his long cooled mug of tea, the way the pale gray light played over the linoleum and the fridge and the--

Mizuki grabbed his chin and forced him to look at him. "Say it."

Naruto bit his lip, feeling his body rebel as Mizuki slammed into him again, and to his mortification the first tear rolled down his cheek. He couldn't say it, he just _couldn't_.

Naruto was an actor, he had always been one, and whoring called for some acting all the time. He had never had reservations about fulfilling any client's wishes unless they were dangerous, and he'd told a lot of customers that he loved them, just because it was what they wanted to hear—but since Gaara...

He hadn't said that to anyone but Gaara for months now.

He hadn't said it the last two times Mizuki had ordered him to, had kept silent despite the man's growls and threats—but he was really far gone, and he didn't know how he could stop--

"Say it!"

Naruto shook his head with effort, pressing against Mizuki's rough grip on his chin. "N-no..."

The man snarled and thrust hard, his expression slackening for a moment in—pleasure? and then returning. Naruto gasped, feeling more blood slide down his thighs. The floor would be a mess.

Mizuki growled. "Say it, Naruto."

The blonde whimpered, tears spilling faster now. He didn't want him saying his name, he _didn't want _it.

He looked up at the man, disgusted with himself that he would resort to what he was about to do. He had quit!

But he had to end this, he _had_ to.

Mizuki grinned in triumph. "Yes, that's good... say it."

Naruto supported himself on his hands, and clenched his muscles, his gaze dropping to the gleaming linoleum as Mizuki groaned hoarsely. "No, you have to say it," the man muttered breathlessly, even as Naruto repeated the action, gingerly encircling the man's shoulders with his arms for more leverage, pushing his hips down and tensing--

Naruto felt the muscular back shudder beneath his hands, the skin warm and dry. Mizuki gripped his waist and thrust just as Naruto pushed down again, and the blonde shrieked in surprise and pain as the man managed to impale him completely--

Mizuki had lost control now, the need to hear Naruto admit his 'love' forgotten as he thrust harder and faster. Naruto fastened his eyes on the little fox that dangled from his keychain, lying forlorn on the counter, and continued tightening his muscles, trying to get Mizuki to...

The man kissed his jaw, wet and hot, and let out a hoarse shout as he climaxed.

Naruto whimpered as warm thick liquid slid inside him, slimy and disgusting. He fell back against the wall, shivering at the coolness of it, and felt Mizuki pull out of him. Relief shivered through him and he nearly lost consciousness then, managing to hold on his last thread of awareness in order to hear, amid the rustling of clothes being put on, "Don't worry, I'll get you away from this... Gaara. We'll be together, Naruto."

Naruto whimpered softly and let the smooth warm blackness roll over him.

°

Kankuro awoke to the sound of the phone ringing.

He staggered up from the couch, clumsily disentangling himself from Ukon's naked form. The other man muttered something incoherent, and went back to sleep.

It looked like late afternoon, the pale light falling into the living room and over Ukon's body, long and lean, sprawled pale on the couch. Their clothes lay scattered on the floor, and a dark green blanket lay twisted between Ukon's limbs.

Kankuro reached for the phone, plucking it from its hook next to the door. "Yeah?" he rasped. His voice was still thick with sleep.

"Naruto needs to get to the hospital."

A shiver ran through Kankuro's body, and suddenly he knew who that cold voice belonged to. "G-gaara...? Is that you?"

There was a short silence, and then the voice came again. "Get over here. Hurry."

Then the flat, fast beeping of the dial tone came. Kankuro slowly replaced the phone.

Gaara had just called? For... Naruto. Naruto had to go...

To the _hospital?_

Kankuro woke up as if from a stupor and crossed over to the couch, shaking Ukon awake. "Ukon!"

The man stretched slowly and luxuriously, cracking his eyes open a bit and glaring up at his boyfriend. "What?"

"I need to go to Gaara's, something's happened to his... you know, to Naruto. Are you coming?"

The man sat up, and muttered irritatedly, "I guess."

But he looked worried, and threw on his clothes just as quickly as Kankuro did.

°

"Shit." Ukon gasped.

Gaara was crouching next to Naruto, and his eyes barely flickered to Kankuro and Ukon before fastening on the blonde's still form again. He stood.

Kankuro was speechless. He knew that Gaara was insane, but he'd seemed so... well, stable wasn't the right word... with Naruto. He'd still freaked Kankuro out, but...

"What the hell happened?" He asked, angry and scared stiff.

Gaara didn't answer.

It was freezing in the kitchen, the window was wide open. The gray light crept over the cold floor, and the blood on Naruto's skin and matted in his hair gleamed in it. He lay curled up, one arm wrapped protectively around his stomach, his chest barely rising and falling--

Gaara glared at Kankuro impatiently, reaching down to gather Naruto under an arm and pull him to his feet. Kankuro started to protest—the kid looked fucking finished—when the blonde stirred slightly, and a faint groan left his lips. His eyes opened a bit, closed again, and then stayed open. Bright blue focused on Kankuro, then on Ukon.

"Wha...Ow!"

He stumbled under Gaara's arm, both arms clutching at his abdomen. The blanket which had been wrapped around him, presumably by Gaara—though Kankuro couldn't imagine it—fell to his hips, and Kankuro bit back a gasp. Next to him, Ukon made a sympathetic noise.

Long trails of angry red marks and bruises made their way up Naruto's torso, and a large yellowing bruise was splayed over a high cheekbone, the whisker-like scars on the tawny skin discolored and purplish. He began to move his head to look at Gaara, but stopped halfway, wincing, and his eyes locked on the floor. "G-gaara."

Gaara let him go, letting him stand on his own. He looked at Kankuro, and Kankuro shivered. His brother's eyes were flat, icy chips of teal, and his face was even more closed than usual. He glanced at Naruto's bruised, silent frame, and snarled softly, "Get him to the hospital."

Kankuro nodded slowly. He reached out and muttered, "Come on, kid, we'll get you to a doctor."

Naruto glanced at Gaara, but the redhead was frozen and angry. The blonde dropped his gaze and nodded, saying, "Let me get some clothes on."

Kankuro winced at the sound of his voice, and he saw Gaara stiffen imperceptibly. The blonde's voice was a broken rasp, and it sounded like pain.

The blonde moved towards the door, and Ukon grabbed his shoulder, muttering something. They disappeared into the corridor, the green-haired man supporting the blonde easily. Kankuro realized that the front door was still open; a pale rectangle of light fell into the gloom of the passage.

He turned back to Gaara. The redhead was stiff, his muscles tensed and his whole body shaking very lightly. His eyes were ice, staring at the black dried smears on the floor and the wall. One hand was flexing, curling in and out of a fist, and as Kankuro watched his mouth opened slightly, a soft deadly snarl escaping pale lips.

Kankuro ran a hand through his hair. "Gaara... why did you..."

His brother looked at him, and Kankuro took an involuntary step back. The redhead was about to snap, his eyes heavy and cold and his hands both in claws.

Pale knuckles cracked.

Kankuro shook his head slightly, still clueless. Why would Gaara hurt Naruto like that? He must have really pissed him off.

Both of them looked up as Naruto and Ukon came back in, Naruto wearing loose jeans and a thick sweater and no socks.

Kankuro gestured to the blonde's feet. "Socks?"

Ukon tsked. "How the fuck is he supposed to get them on? Bending down isn't all that great right now." He muttered.

Naruto managed a bitter, rough chuckle. Kankuro flinched. Gaara didn't react.

The blonde glanced at Gaara, and Kankuro tensed, ready for anything.

Well, for anything except what came.

"Gaara... I'm really, really sorry. I didn't think... I didn't think he... I didn't even know he was _that _crazy."

There was silence.

The wind sighed in, and Ukon's piercings rang as he leaned against the doorframe. Kankuro's eyes widened. What was going on?

The redhead stared at Naruto, and Kankuro felt as though he was intruding on something very private and ancient and all that crap. It felt weird.

Next to him, Ukon shifted restlessly.

Silence.

Suddenly the moment was over, and Gaara snarled louder, his eyes brightening to almost a whitish-blue. "_Who?"_

Naruto flinched. "I..."

Gaara snarled again, his hand coming to slam onto the kitchen table.

The sound shocked everyone. Ukon jumped.

Naruto sighed softly. "Ukon...?"

The man nodded. "Yeah?"

"I'm about to faint, man."

Gaara's eyes snapped up and onto the blonde, and he moved to catch him just as he collapsed.

°

"So why couldn't Gaara take him to the hospital in the first place?"

"Gaara's the Sandman. He can't just march into a public, State-owned institution like a hospital."

"Tch." Ukon twisted around in his seat, gazing at Naruto's curled up form on the backseat. "Dammit, but the kid is beat up."

Kankuro glanced into the rearview mirror. "He is. And I really want to know what the fuck happened."

Naruto looked pale, and his closed eyes were moving restlessly beneath their lids. His skinny form, the wide collar of his sweatshirt exposing tawny bruised skin, was rolled into a little protective ball on the seat.

Ukon fingered his cheek-chain. "Yeah. Well, at least we know it wasn't your brother who did the damage."

Kankuro sighed. "I guess."

The streets were almost empty because of the cold, and it wasn't rush hour yet, so they made it to the closest hospital in ten minutes. The building was a massive concrete tower, a bright green cross glowing on the roof and over the entrance. The parking lot was full, and as Kankuro got out he saw a tiny woman, slim and delicate, help her son out of the van parked next to them. The child had a towel wrapped around its head and a bright red stain was steadily spreading through the fabric.

The woman caught Kankuro's eye. She looked panicked and pale.

He turned back to his car. Ukon was leaning over into the backseat, gently shaking Naruto. Ukon had been strangely nice this whole time, and Kankuro wondered why...

Naruto slowly got out, wincing as he stood.

Ukon slipped an arm underneath his in order to support him, and they followed the small woman and her son towards the entrance of the hospital.

°

The medics had put Naruto up in a room with four or five other people. He grinned wryly up at Kankuro and Ukon. "The last time I was int his hospital I was important to the Force and I got a single room..." he made a face.

Kankuro chuckled. "Are you feeling better?"

"No. But I'm supposed to be a little better by morning. I'll go home then."

Ukon was standing next to Kankuro, his arms crossed and his piercings jingling. The other patients in the room—an old, wrinkled little lady, a massive bear of a man with no hair anywhere visible and bright green eyes, a skinny girl ith a red mess of burns on her face, and a slender bookish-looking boy—were staring avidly at the green-haired man.

Naruto tugged at Kankuro's sleeve, a small line appearing between his eyebrows. When he spoke, he sounded the slightest bit anxious. "Hey... what happened after I fainted? I... don't remember and..."

Kankuro shrugged. "Gaara caught you, and we took you to the hospital. Gaara was really angry, but he seemed to be trying to calm down."

Naruto flinched. "Do you think... he's angry about... that—well, that I got f—rap—you know?"

Ukon made an angry noise. "If he does, kid, then fuck him."

Kankuro shrugged. "I really don't know, though I'd say..."

Naruto was watching him avidly now, the bandages on his neck and cheek pristine white in the gloomy light from the tall window—it was getting late.

Kankuro ran a hand through his hand and said slowly, "Look, kid, I'm Gaara's brother. I know him about as well as anyone _can_ know him. And... fuck, this sounds like out of a bad virtseries... but, uh, I've never seen Gaara actually concentrate on anything human before, aside from—you know." He made a violent cut-throat gesture. "And with you... he actually... well. He seems to like you, if he can actually like stuff. And today he seemed angrier at the guy who did this shit to you than angry at _you_."

He took a deep breath. Wow. What a sappy speech.

Ukon snickered beside him and ruffled Naruto's hair carefully. "Whatever, kid. We're gonna get going."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I need to sleep some. I feel half-dead."

Kankuro laughed bitterly. "Yeah. I can understand that."

°

"Has that ever happened to you?"

It was dark in the bedroom. The heater was on, humming in the gloom, and Ukon was all warm soft skin tangled around him, the metal of his belly piercing cool against the inner side of Kankuro's arm.

The younger man shifted in the light from the small window, the orange glow of a street lamp. He pressed closer to Kankuro. "Nah. Not completely."

Kankuro rolled a strand of silky hair between his fingers. "Not completely?"

Ukon shrugged, snickering softly. "He was too drunk, he fell over in the middle of trying to get in."

Kankuro winced. "Oh."

Ukon laughed truly now. "Yeah. I have a guardian angel."

Kankuro grunted skeptically. "I wonder why."

The green-haired man twisted around in Kankuro's arms and kissed him. He broke away and muttered, "Fuck me?"

Kankuro tightened his grip and rolled on top of his lover. "You know you don't need to ask."

Ukon laughed breathlessly.

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Ah... my fingers are ITCHING to write another KankyUkon lemon... but I need to go to sleep, so not now.

Okay.

Now lets just hope the uploader works.

Please review!!!


	35. Chapter 35

Hey!!!

Um. I just reread chap 34 and realized that I called Ukon 'green-haired' twice. My bad. Dunno why... must have been the green lipstick...

Gah.

Anyway, here's chap 35, with Sasuke and Kabuto-kids fun, and a bit of serious Naruto-stuff... like a homicidal Gaara and a shocked Whore Street clique... and Tsunade makes an appearance!!!

...this is all hypothetical.

Let's hope, okay?

And once more, no randomness.

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Suit Square

"Did you read that?"

"Yes. For university. You should try it, it's pretty good once you get used to the English."

"Urk. I can't stand reading English. And I doubt I even can. I never got very far in school."

"Well, it's the second most important language, you know. Since there are virtually only two spoken it the world..."

"--and English is one of them, I know, I know. I just don't like it. It's so... round and flat."

Temari laughed. "Round and flat?"

"Yeah! You know, it's so... simple."

"If you think so... but either way, the book is worth it. And it's a classic—it's just not the same in Statespeak, even if you _do _manage to find a copy somewhere. I think it's on the censor list."

"Of course it's on the censor list. All good books are on the censor list. Do you know that one..." Tenten trailed off, her eyebrows furrowed.

Temari watched her, her lips twitching into an amused smile. "Yes?"

"Forgot." Tenten muttered, biting off of her roll. She wrinkled her nose and said through a mouth full of salami and bread, "... something about a guy with some kind of talent..." she swallowed. "...And he wants to make the perfect scent and he kills off all these girls."

"_The Perfume_?"

"Yeah, that's it. That one's really good. Freaky and weird, but great."

Temari nodded. "I liked it a lot. Was a bitch to get, though." She stretched, sitting up and glancing at her alarm clock.

"I found it on a flea market somewhere." Tenten looked up at her from where she lay sprawled on the sheets. "Gotta go?"

Temari shook her head. She didn't have her hair up, and the blond strands stuck up and out and all over, brushing her shoulders. "Still have time. I'm glad you visited, by the way."

Tenten shrugged. "I was freezing. And I woke up at seven for some weird reason, so I decided to come over here. I'm lucky I got the day right; I wasn't sure whether it was Tuesdays or Wednesdays that you start late."

The blonde woman took another roll off the plate between them and bit into it, chewing slowly. She was wearing loose drawstring pants and one of her most comfortable, loose sweaters, both a strange color between gray and tan. Her golden skin looked paler than usual in the dim, cool morning light from the window. The heater was whirring.

The sheets rustled as Tenten leaned over and pulled at the woman's earlobe. "So what did you exactly study? I still don't get it."

Temari shrugged, swallowing the last of the bread. "A little of everything, I suppose. I just dabbled in all subjects until I found something that interested me. Back then, the last fluctuations in the weather were dying out, and there was still something to study. Now everything's routine. Unnatural routine, but routine nonetheless. It's gotten extremely boring."

Tenten sat up and scratched her head. She had a bite somewhere on the back of her neck, and it was itching up a storm. The plate was empty.

She glanced at Temari, who was busy finger-combing her hair. "You'll need a brush for that, man."

"First of all, I'm not a man, as you know very well, and second of all, my brush has taken a forced leave of ab--"

Both of them started when Temari's cell phone rang on the bedside table. Tenten recovered and handed it to the woman, wincing at the loud, dissonant ringtone.

Temari flipped it open and said, "Hello?"

Tenten tuned her out and picked up the empty plate, heading out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. She washed the plate quickly and set it aside. She heard Temari till speaking on the phone, and pulled her sweater a bit tighter around her; the heater seemed to be off in the room.

She glanced around the kitchen, wondering whether she should make coffee—but then her eye caught on the clock, and she decided not to. Adjusting her jeans, she returned to the bedroom.

Temari was sitting up, and she gave Tenten a small smile when she came in. "Okay. Okay. I'll see you then. All right. Bye."

She closed the phone and stood. "That was my brother. It seems that something happened to Naruto, and he's in the hospital again."

Tenten's eyes widened. "He's _what?_"

°

"Hmmm... that's a hard one... a shoe?"

Ino peered at the drawing pad in her hands. "A _shoe?_ How the fuck is that a shoe? I don't draw _that _badly, Lee!"

The black-haired kid tugged at his suit and leaned forward so that his nose was almost touching the paper. "Uh. A dinosaur."

Kakashi laughed. He was sitting on the steps, wrapped in a thick black coat. "Lee, you have no idea when it comes to flattering girls."

Gai was crouched down halfway behind Kakashi, peering over his shoulder and looking outraged at the images in the silver-haired man's book. "Lee, don't listen to him!" he thundered, his impressive eyebrows furrowing. "He is a bad influence! Very bad!"

Lee was barely listening, attention still on Ino's drawing.

Sasuke was onto the last chapter of _Lolita_. He had no idea how he'd gotten that far, but it had happened, and now he couldn't exactly quit.

The weather had stabilized now, and it was a constant two hundred and thirty. The wind was still strong and sharp, and it cut through Sasuke's coat and sweaters. Whore Street was empty, all the prostitutes huddled in their nooks and crannies. The ramen shop had a little line, sex workers dressed in layers and thick heavy coats.

The Konoha was quiet without Naruto. Sasuke had gotten used to the silence, but he still caught himself sometimes, looking for a flash of bright blonde hair, of creamy brown skin and bright sapphire eyes.

That was getting rare, though.

He took a cigarette out of his coat pocket and fumbled out his lighter, lighting it quickly. The smoke scratched at his lungs as he inhaled.

Lee had managed to guess at the nature of Ino's drawing by now—a penguin—and it was the blond girl's turn to guess at his scribble. Shikamaru was lying wrapped in blankets, listening to music.

Kiba and Shino had left around twenty minutes ago to go begging on Suit Square, and Tenten was off somewhere—probably at Temari's place. She went there sometimes Wednesday mornings—it seemed as though Temari started work late then.

Gai had settled down into a very uncomfortable-looking position, still staring over Kakashi's shoulder and into his book. The wind hissed through the street, and a few cars drove by lazily.

Ino made a frustrated noise behind Sasuke. "Damn, Lee... what the fuck _is _that?"

Sasuke could _hear _Lee's teeth sparkle. "I'm not telling!"

Sasuke shook his head slightly and turned back to his book, blinking away a swath of stinging smoke.

After reading a few more lines of the sharp, rectangular Cyrillic text, he looked up again. There was a weird tugging somewhere inside of him, a kind of violent nervosity that put his stomach in knots and compressed his breakfast of ramen into a hard, heavy lump. He thought he knew what it was about--

Scratch that, he _knew _what it was about.

Kabuto was going to... to wherever he had to go to file for divorce... today.

Sasuke wondered whether Tayuya would be picking her stuff up from the house anytime soon. Maybe she didn't have anything there? But no, she did—clothes and... perfume.

Right. The perfume.

He shook his head. The red swirls in his eyes were tight over his lenses.

He glanced down Whore, in the direction of the Arcade. The junkies looked pitiful in the gray light, pale and skinny in their checkered and metal-studded rags. One girl, tall and too thin from eating too little and drinking even less, was making her slow, awkward way through the group, stepping over legs and arms with a studious, shaky clumsiness, her form shivering and shaking with either crystalknife-need or the aftereffects of a shot.

Beyond them, Sasuke could make out what looked like Tenten, in a thick pink coat and jeans. She was walking briskly and her whole manner seemed urgent.

He tried to read on, managing another half a page—the Russian was killing him today, his roiling stomach continually breaking his concentration—before he heard the click-clack of Tenten's high-heeled boots approaching over the frost-cracked sidewalk.

Ino looked up from Lee's scrawl—Sasuke supposed that it was a baby, but it could just as well have been a pineapple—and called, "Hey, Tenten!"

The dark-haired girl nodded briefly at her before stopping under the awning and saying, the pinkish light of the plastic gleaming off of her creamy skin, "Naruto's hurt and in the hospital. I don't know what exactly happened, though."

Shikamaru woke up, and Sasuke stood abruptly.

Ino, Gai, Lee and Kakashi gasped, "He's _what?_"

°

Naruto had had a morning eventful enough to keep his mind off of Gaara, if he put effort into it.

The four others he shared the room with were mostly boring, going about their seemingly long-perfected routines with single-minded, robot-like movements. The girl with the angry red burns moaned quietly in pain every now and then, her eyes closed. The intellectual-looking kid across from Naruto steadily read his way through a massive pile of thick dark tomes, and the massive bear-like guy fiddled with his sheets in the exact same order of actions, over and over again.

The only interesting person in the room was the tiny old lady next to him. Her silver-blonde hair was tied up into a wild, loose bun, and she had a gleaming sign glued or painted or applied to her forehead, winking in the weak sunlight from the window. The whole morning already she'd been annoying their quiet medic for sake and smoke breaks.

The medic, Shizune, was just attending to the bookish kid, giving him some sort of pill that he swallowed with a grimace before turning immediately back to his _Marxist Theory as Implemented in the Eastern State: Great Successes and Innovations_. She gathered up her checklist and her pens and made her way towards the exit of the high, white room.

The old lady rasped—she had a smoker's voice—loudly, "Medic! I want some sake!"

Shizune's right eye twitched and a deep line formed between her brows. She turned to the lady and said coldly, "Miss Tsunade, you are strictly forbidden to have any alcohol—or do you want to have a _second_ operation?"

She'd been replying to the old ladys' demands with almost the exact line since nine o'clock, and Naruto had found it more amusing each time.

The grandma made a dismissive motion with one stick-thin arm. "Oh, come now, my liver's managed sixty years, it'll survive another few!"

Naruto chuckled, shaking his head, as Shizune stalked out of the room with a hand massaging her temple.

The grandma turned to him. She gave him a glare. "What are you laughing at, kid?"

The blonde laughed harder. "Oh... nothing special." He managed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

She leaned over towards him, her eyes furious. "Now, really! What kind of manners are those, you brat? You don't hide things from real ladies!"

"Right, whatever, grandma."

"_Grandma?!_"

Ten minutes later, they had exchanged names and Tsunade was telling him all about the state of her liver and lungs. "... and have you ever tried the real Far-East sake? That's the original stuff, and it's beyond good."

Naruto shrugged. "No."

She grinned wickedly. "Well, my liver's shot from the drink and my lungs are screwed from the smoking... needed a clone-transplant for liver cells. And why're you here, brat?"

"Don't call me that!"

Naruto sobered.

He'd collapsed before being able to answer to Gaara's demand for the name of who'd attacked him yesterday. And he hadn't slept at night. Images and flashbacks of the snake-guy and Mizuki and, worst of all, of _Gaara_, had whirled and broken and slammed into him in endless loops of pain. Their heavy gazes, all so different, had melded into one that he still felt on himself even now, in the weak daylight. The snake-guy's disgusting soft caresses made their way up his thighs and torso, and Naruto felt the ghost of remembered pain on his thigh and side—Gaara slicing the kanji into him—at the same time as the snake-guy held a knife to the symbols, threatening to cut them out--

Naruto was helpless against all this; he'd always been good at just... finishing... with uncomfortable and painful things, but now he realized just how stupid a strategy that was. His father's rough ragged voice joined Mizuki's in his ears and Naruto wondered whether he should try to get Tsunade to give him one of her pills, just to make this frightening blur of memories and ghosting sensations go away. Everything he'd pushed away was resurfacing; for a few seconds he was back in the barren playground that he had run to from his father's house, in the dead neighborhood that he'd hated, and the tall heavyset man with the nicotine-stained hands was murmuring, 'I'll pay you.' His first 'customer'.

It was getting steadily worse; the less Naruto had to occupy himself in reality, the more the images and sounds and feelings took over. Tsunade had fallen quiet, and the only thing still keeping Naruto from falling completely into the maelstrom of wild and dark images and rough hands was the feeling of the cool, scratchy sheet against his skin and the dull ache between his legs.

He squeezed his eyes shut as Gaara's cold voice muttered, 'You'd better get used to it,', and tensed as Mizuki grabbed his hair and threw him against the kitchen wall.

He kept his breathing steady with difficulty.

Naruto froze as Jiraiya's voice said raucously, drink on his breath, 'Little slut. You _like_ all this.'

Mizuki muttered, 'Say it!'

Snake-guy laughed his eerie laugh, and Gaara didn't say anything.

Did Naruto like all this? He didn't, did he?

He couldn't!

But Sasuke hated the paid sex. He _didn't _like it. And Sasuke had never been raped, had he? No, he hadn't. And he didn't like the sex.

So Naruto had to like it. After all, he got raped so often... he had to like it, didn't he?

No wonder Gaara was so angry yesterday. Naruto was a real slut, wasn't he?

Wasn't he?

Gaara didn't say anything, and Mizuki just said, 'Say it!'

Jiraiya laughed his drunken laugh and Naruto's father called him by his mother's name.

°

"Ack. Disgusting place."

Sasuke agreed with Tenten. The dark-haired girl, her jeans riding low on her pale hips and her lacy little top exposing everything, was fiddling with the pins holding one of her buns in place as they strode towards the hospital entrance. Her mantle was buttoned up at the bottom and open at the top, and the bright pink stood out against the gleaming cars and the gray light.

Ino had bought a box of Naruto's favorite chocolates near the bus stop, and she was calm and still from her morning joint, her eyes slightly inflamed and her hair loose and silky over her back. Next to her, Lee was grinning at nothing in particular. Gai was solemn and kept on breaking out into mournful speeches, which Kakashi would end abruptly with an annoyed swat. Shikamaru dragged his feet behind all of them, his dark eyes half-closed and disinterested.

It was a bit warmer than the days before, the wind much weaker. The massive concrete block of the hospital sat squat and gray against the monotonous sky, and the weak light glanced off of the tall windows—like Kabuto's glasses gleamed sometimes.

The lobby was full of white-dressed medics and exhausted patients, waiting in hard, uncomfortable seats for their names to be called. Kakashi led the way to the visitor's desk and put his book away. The group waited impatiently for the two old ladies in front of them to finish venting their anger about the hospital's 'complicated' layout to the poor girl behind the counter. Tenten muttered an insult under her breath.

Once the timid girl found them Naruto's room number, they all crowded into the elevators. The medics, visitors and patients in the elevator with them stared; Ino was wearing jeans that were more holes than fabric, including a huge rip down from her buttocks to the back of her knee, over tight black leggings, and her top was silver sequins sown on a ten-centimeter strip of cloth. Gai and Lee's suits weren't half bad either, and Sasuke's all black completed the freak show.

Sasuke glared at the woman that was staring at him from across the elevator, her eyes oozing over him like so much thick syrup. Tenten noticed, and as the doors pinged open to reveal a bare white corridor, she nudged him and muttered, "Slut alarm."

Sasuke just made an exasperated noise and followed the rest of the Konoha people out into the hectic corridor.

Naruto's room was to the left. Lee counted the room numbers: "...twenty-five, twenty-six, thirty, thirty-three—here we are, my youthful companions!"

Sasuke closed his eyes and prayed for patience.

The room was large, six beds arranged in the most unattractive pattern ever and two virtsvision screens affixed to each wall. The tall windows groaned in a sudden gust of wind.

The Konoha crew looked around the room. The patients were mostly staring, fascinated by this breach of routine.

Sasuke saw Naruto first, a tuft of blonde hair above a brown quilt. He strode over and looked down at the slender form beneath the sheets.

He was worried. A lot. After all, Naruto had just moved in with the _Sandman_.

Tenten leaned over the bed. "Naruto?"

The figure on the bed tensed beneath its blankets and lay still for a few seconds before sitting up.

Sasuke felt the red in his eyes start to spin in rage.

The blonde's tawny, creamy skin was bruised terribly, a large yellow-purple discoloration splayed over a cheekbone and angry red marls that looked like hickies trailing down into the collar of his hospital gown. His hair was wild and gold and his eyes were frighteningly dark and empty.

"Hey, usuratonkachi." Sasuke murmured.

Naruto stared at him, looking spooked. "Oh, yeah... uh, hi. Teme."

Something was wrong, but even as Tenten and Ino started to pull Naruto into an inane conversation and Naruto began very obviously not even listening, he couldn't put his finger on what it was. The bright blue eyes shifted more than usual, the graceful movements were maybe a _bit _jerky. But nothing truly noteworthy.

If Kiba had been there, he would have asked _who, _and _what_. But no one here was brave enough.

Ino made one veiled reference to Gaara's insanity, and the epression the crossed Naruto's face—cold fury—and his deadly reply, "Don't insult Gaara," easily stopped anyone from prying.

Sasuke didn't know what to think, and he stayed in the background, carefully watching Naruto's stiff, pained movements and the strange darkness in his eyes. The clouded blue kept on snapping to the side, focussing on something invisible, and Sasuke noticed the way Naruto's muscles would tense beneath his golden skin, as if readying to flee--

The old lady next to Naruto spoke up during a lull in the Konoha crew's conversation, asking them conspiratorially whether they had any alcohol or cigarettes with them. Sasuke disliked her on sight, but he slipped her a cigarette nonetheless and Ino procured a small glass bottle from her shoulder bag, passing it to the grandma for a few sips.

The woman grinned. "Thanks, kids. So you're Naruto's friends?"

Naruto laughed brightly and falsely. "Yeah, they're my best mates." He rattled off their names, and the kids and men gave the old woman a smile or a nod each. Shikamaru blinked slowly at her, and she wrinkled her nose in response.

When Lee started on a long speech on the Youthful Blessing of Pain, the whores decided that they should be going.

"See you, Naruto!"

"Get well, kiddo."

"Survive the Pain, Youthful Student!"

"--and the Blessing of Pain is one that makes us Men--"

A slight wave from Shikamaru.

"Oh, and Temari says hi, Naruto. We'll see you, okay?"

Naruto had barely spoken.

Sasuke let the others crowd out, leaning on the hard white sheets of Naruto's bed. The other kid's tawny, smooth skin was dark against the pristine white of his sheets, and his infinitely dark eyes—what _was _that shadow? -- refused to meet Sasuke's.

Kakashi called to Sasuke from the door. "Sasuke?"

Sasuke turned slightly and muttered, "I'll come back to the Konoha later."

The shopkeeper smiled, his eyes closing in upturned U's and one hand moving in a strange, awkward flapping motion—a wave, of sorts. The silver hair ducked out of the doorframe and the door closed, the greenish-yellow light from the corridor disappearing and the speckled linoleum gleaming again in the simple pale light.

The old lady was ignoring them now, reading a crumbling book with a pair of small spectacles perched on her nose.

Naruto looked up at him. "Aren't you leaving?"

Sasuke shrugged and reached out, ruffling the blonde's hair. "Are you allowed to get out of bed?"

The other kid, skinny arms lying on the soft covers, grinned weakly and tried to say happily, "Of course, man! I need to stretch my legs anyway, and the medic's too stressed to notice anything—Hey, Sasuke, where're you going, teme?"

Sasuke half-turned, already at the door. "Hurry up, usuratonkachi."

He noted Naruto's flinch, a tense almost-ducking motion in his shoulders and his eyes' shifty movement—and he realized what the cloudy shadows were.

_Fear_.

No, panic.

Naruto was totally, utterly freaked.

The blonde got up slowly—he was wearing the usual hospital gown over his loose, faded jeans. He carefully, carefully pulled the gown over his head and Sasuke realized that he was somehow... fragile. Something was hounding him, but he didn't know what.

The other patients in the room were quiet, the boy with the pile of books leaning over a tome and swaying from side to side. Soft snores sounded from under the curtain of hair that obscured his features. The burned girl was staring at Sasuke, her dark-ringed eyes desperate in the pale gloom of the room. Sasuke felt a dull tug beneath his heart. Pity. The massive man in the corner was talking to himself and doing crosswords.

Sasuke felt Naruto's presence at his side, the golden skin of his torso covered with an orange sweater and his thick leather coat. "Come on, teme!"

Sasuke walked slowly behind the blonde, following the soft noise of Naruto's uneven steps; the boy was carefully nursing his right leg, dragging the foot. Sinewy muscles tensed periodically beneath the sweaters, and Naruto's head kept snapping abruptly to the side or down, his breath coming quick and fast.

They stepped into the elevator.

Sasuke watched Naruto's eyes grow even more scared and wide among the pressing crowd in the elevator. "Hey, dobe."

"Don't call me that!" Naruto's voice was a shaky version of his usual bravado. The others in the elevator—doctors, worried visitors, an obese woman in a wheelchair—looked up and shifted at the outburst.

Sasuke's eyes hurt; the red rings were a dry pressure on his irises. He was worried, and at the edge of his mind the knowledge of Kabuto's errand still nagged at him.

The crowd pressed closer around them as more people entered.

Naruto whimpered.

Sasuke glanced down at him. The bruise on his cheek was dark against a paling complexion and his eyes were mere pinpoints of black on white.

He didn't know what to say, so he settled for very carefully putting his hand on the small of Naruto's back and letting the blonde's shoulder press into his chest. Naruto took a few deep breaths and his hands clenched into fists.

The elevator pinged open.

Dammit, what was wrong with Naruto? Sasuke didn't know how to ask.

They were in the lobby now, and Sasuke moved toward the exit. "Come on, fresh air'll do you good, dobe."

Naruto just nodded. "Y-yeah."

"Naruto!"

Naruto's head jerked up. He glanced at Sasuke. "Sasuke, did you just..."

"Yes, someone did just call your name. But it wasn't me."

"Oh. I thought..." Naruto looked relieved.

Sasuke didn't pry.

A slender, dark-haired form came running from the visitor's info desk. "Naruto! Are you okay?"

Naruto looked up, surprised. "Haku?"

°

"Yes, well I heard from Zabuza, who heard from Jiraiya, who heard from Yashamaru—remember him, Naruto? The cook from the Red Sand Bar?--and it seems that he heard it from one of Gaara's siblings themselves."

Sasuke watched the slim boy smoke and talk. They were standing in front of the hospital entrance, jackets closed.

The boy, Haku was... _beautiful_. His silky long hair was thrown casually over one shoulder, and his stylishly faded and scuffed red velvet coat was tight around his slender form. He wore tight jeans and a turtleneck beneath the coat, and his wide black eyes were soft, warm and limpid.

He reached out with a pale hand to brush at Naruto's hair. The blonde flinched and jerked away. Haku frowned worriedly. "Naruto? What's wrong?"

Sasuke thanked him for asking that question—well, he thanked him mentally. He took a deep drag of his cigarette and watched Naruto carefully.

The blonde tried to shake his head and started to say, "Noth..." but Sasuke said calmly, "Usuratonkachi, something has to be wrong."

Naruto tensed suddenly again, and his eyes widened. He took a long, shaky breath and shook his head again, as if to clear it. "It's nothing, I just... I... fuck."

Haku smiled warmly. "Hey, Naru-chan. Come on, it makes it better to talk about it."

Sasuke wasn't very good at this sort of thing. He briefly wondered how Kabuto had been able to stand it, back when Sasuke had begun unloading all his past on him.

Naruto glanced over at Sasuke. "Can I have a cig?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah."

Naruto never smoked.

The two dark-haired kids watched the blonde light up and inhale deeply.

Naruto blew out a swath of blue-gray smoke and said softly, "I got raped really bad yesterday. And I dunno, I'm just... breaking down, kinda." He tensed and flinched, then straightened, looking sheepish and ashamed.

Sasuke hadn't known that it was rape.

He felt his eyes tighten further.

Fuck.

Haku was quiet, moving beautifully to inhale and exhale. "Shit, Naruto. You always have the worst luck."

Naruto grinned very weakly. "Heh. Yeah."

"How are you breaking down? Can I--" Haku glanced over at Sasuke, "--can _we_ help with it in any way?"

Naruto shook his head and grinned a bit more honestly. "Nah. Just flashbacks. It's not that bad, really."

Sasuke snorted. "Yeah, right."

Naruto scowled at him.

Haku shook his head gently. "Hey, who was it--"

Something clicked in Sasuke's mind. "Wait. Was it—_Gaara?_"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "_No._" His eyes lost all the fear, got furious, and then just as quickly they grew dark again, and sad. "No, it wasn't Gaara. He... he wouldn't hurt me like that."

They were silent. Footsteps and voices of people going into and out of the hospital sounded around them. Naruto took a deep drag of the cigarette.

"It was some crazy dude who was already into me on Whore. He doesn't matter. But... Gaara... doesn't... Gaara is disgusted with me now."

Haku groaned softly. "Oh, _no._"

Sasuke really didn't like Gaara all that much. As a matter of fact, he couldn't _stand _him. First he just whisked Naruto off from beneath Sasuke's lovesick nose in _three days_. Then he made Naruto move in with him.

And now he was just fucking dropping him?!

What?

How the hell did that work?

Sasuke rubbed at his temple. Across from him, Haku was looking at Naruto sympathetically. A touch of exasperation was mixed in as well.

Naruto scrubbed at his scalp and dropped the cig, stepping on it and grinding it out.

And just in time, too.

"Naruto-kun! What are you doing here?"

The three kids turned as one. A tallish, slender woman in the white coat of a medic was looking at them angrily. "Naruto-kun! You're not allowed out!"

Naruto looked sheepish, though he was still pale and Sasuke noticed that his fingers were trembling. "Um... I actually thought I'd be out by today, Miss Shizune."

The medic rolled her eyes. "Well, you won't be! Get back in! Now!"

Naruto glanced at the other two kids. "I... thanks a lot, you guys. I'll see you?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, dobe."

Haku smiled gently. "Get better, love. And don't worry! I'm sure Gaara isn't disgusted by you at all."

Naruto's expression turned bitter and he nodded slightly before following the medic back inside.

The two boys stood in silence for a while. Sasuke lit a new cigarette.

Haku shifted gracefully. "Naruto is quite in love with the Sandman, isn't he?"

Sasuke nodded.

"And Gaara needs to understand that—"

Sasuke shook his head. "No. Gaara is just utterly crazy and needs to get that Naruto needs to meet him again."

Haku chuckled. "Articulate."

Sasuke shrugged. "You're lucky to hear even that much out of me."

The long-haired boy's eyes gleamed with amusement. "Okay. So Gaara needs to be told, doesn't he?"

"Do you have any idea?"

"Not really. But there must be something."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Just great."

Haku peered into his eyes. "Oh, I love the red things. What are they?"

"Nothing."

Haku smiled and shook his pretty head. "Okay."

They smoked for another while until Haku said, "You know where Slum Street is?"

What a stupid question, Sasuke thought. He grunted an affirmative.

The long-haired boy smiled slowly. "Meet me there tomorrow morning."

He walked off, leaving Sasuke unsettled.

So that had been one of Naruto's Slum Street colleagues.

°

Chouji looked at him apologetically for the fifth time in as many seconds. "I'm really, really sorry."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Shut up, for fuck's sake. It's not really your fault, is it?"

The round babysitter nodded. "All right. Well, I'll... see you."

Sasuke waved him off.

Chouji glanced over his shoulder, halfway out the door. "Oh, and... Sasuke?"

Sasuke glanced up from pulling off his boots.

"Um. It's kind of a mess upstairs. Tayuya came over this morning. She went kind of crazy. Just so you know."

The door closed, and it warmed up immediately.

Sasuke hadn't even finished hanging up his jacket when a small figure slammed into him, yelling, "Sasuke!"

Sasuke chuckled under his breath. "Hey, Tsume."

Aki was standing a bit farther away, looking grim as usual. He did deign to grace Sasuke with a glance, though.

"Well, kids... I guess you're stuck with me until our father gets home."

Aki nodded solemnly. "Yeah, Chouji has an exam."

Sasuke took a drag of his cigarette.

"So... do you you have anything specific in mind?"

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Okay, I wanted to fit more into this, but I'm too lazy and I have to go to bed now.

Many thanx to the awesome **ARIE DATE!!!**

Without her this chapter wouldn't exist.

And now, PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	36. Chapter 36

Erm... sorry, I have massive writer's block...

Merry Xmas everyone!

Randomness: Disturbed, "Voices"

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Suit Square

Kabuto opened the door to the sound of Tsume's laughter.

His head ached terribly. How many details and questions did the State need to _know _for a divorce? It was ridiculous.

But the first step had been taken, and that was worth a headache. He took his coat off and hung it on a wall hook, his eyes alighting on the heavy boots that stood next to the children's shoes on the mat.

Kabuto smiled slightly. So Sasuke had really come.

Tsume laughed again in the living room, and Kabuto moved through the grayish gloom of the cool corridor to the room's door.

Sasuke was sitting cross-legged on the couch, absorbed in a book. The pale light from the window glanced off his dark hair and his eyes were half-lidded, red gleaming across the room. His pale skin was traced with shadow, the dips of his collarbone and jawline darkened in the half-light. His slender form was relaxed, one hand holding open the book while the other rubbed at the back of his slim white neck.

Tsume and Aki were peering around the room, looking into each corner and crevice interestedly. A few empty plates stood at the foot of the couch, and the stereo was on, radio playing softly.

Sasuke noticed Kabuto first, glancing up and hiding a smile. He closed his book but stayed where he was.

Aki and Tsume both looked up then, and Tsume called, "Daddy!"

Aki grinned and ran to Kabuto, hugging him. "I won the first round of the treasure hunt, Dad!"

Tsume pouted. "Be quiet Aki."

Kabuto smiled at them and chuckled. "I'm sure you'll win soon too, Tsume."

He looked up from the happy face of his daughter and beckoned to Sasuke. The teen made a face and got up, his legs unfolding gracefully from their position. He dropped the book on the couch cushions and walked over to the others. Tsume immediately latched onto him, and he picked her up easily, balancing her on one slim hip. His jeans were loose and rode low, the sharp contours of his abdomen and hipbones disappearing beneath the too-wide waistline.

Tsume tugged at the teen's black turtleneck and grinned at Kabuto. "Tsume and Aki have been playing Sasuke's treasure hunting game!"

Kabuto raised an eyebrow. "Where's Chouji?"

"He had some kind of test," Sasuke muttered.

Aki puffed himself up and stated importantly, "Yeah, he had a political science exam!"

"Aha." Kabuto nodded.

Sasuke gestured towards the kitchen. "There's still rice and tuna left."

"Oh good, I'll go help myself."

Sasuke followed him into the kitchen, the children happily back at the 'treasure hunt'. Kabuto peered into the pot on the stove and spooned some rice-with-tuna into a bowl, setting it into the microwave and starting the machine. He turned around, his eyes settling on the teen in the doorway.

Sasuke's eyes were shadowed and his form was shifting minutely all the time; he was nervous. "If you go upstairs, don't be shocked. Tayuya was here today. She trashed the bedroom."

Kabuto frowned. "Were you there?"

The dark head shook form side to side. "Chouji told me." Red-swirling eyes darted to meet Kabuto's and the kid grimaced slightly, wanting to ask but at the same time ashamed of his need to know.

Kabuto took pity on him and half-smiled. "It went fine. A few more weeks and it'll be through."

The teen nodded and the microwave pinged open.

°

Sasuke was downstairs with the children—it seemed they had found whatever the hunt consisted of, and the teen was restarting the game.

Kabuto had gone up to change and to inspect the damage. He glanced into the children's room first.

Their bedroom was at the back of the upper story. It was decorated in green and blue and the kids' toys lay everywhere, action figures and puzzles and memory cards. The beds were casually messy—nothing was out of place.

The bathroom was a different story. The shower curtain had been ripped off the bar and lay in a crumpled plastic heap on the white-tiled floor. The golden wood of the cupboards was stained with a mess of spilled perfume and shampoo and other toiletries, and the puddles of cream and soap also spread over the tiles. The faucet was dripping, the sound loud in the otherwise silent, darkened room.

Kabuto shook his head slightly and made a mental note to call the cleaning lady to come in an extra time tomorrow morning. He turned in the bath doorway and crossed the narrow corridor to his own room. The door was half-closed, and he pushed it open with a good measure of trepidation.

The balcony door was slid open completely and the icy wind was blowing in, slicing through Kabuto's sweater. Tayuya had ravaged both the wardrobe and the dresser, and thrown the sheets and blankets out onto the wet concrete of the balcony. The pink bottle of perfume was gone from the bedside table, and Kabuto didn't see any of his wife's clothes among those lying in heaps on the carpet.

"Hn."

Kabuto turned around. Sasuke was standing at the room's entrance, looking disgusted.

The man moved towards him and kissed the shell of a pale, perfect ear. Sasuke shivered involuntarily. Kabuto pulled him out on the balcony.

It was freezing cold. The sky was darkening, the clouds solidifying into a gray that was almost dark enough to be called black. The suburban street was empty.

Sasuke leaned into him very slightly and Kabuto kissed him again. The door closed behind them as he pushed him back inside, the clear translucent skin cold and shivering beneath him touch.

The bed felt strange with the covers and pillows still lying on the balcony, but Kabuto didn't really care and he doubted that Sasuke did, either. He buried his hands in thick silky black hair and kissed him deeply, grinding his hips down into the teen's slim pelvis.

Sasuke's mouth was hot and welcoming against his, his tongue flicking softly against Kabuto's. Cold slender hands fumbled with Kabuto's sweater, pushing it up clumsily and sliding over his chest, caressing. The teen was panting into the kiss by now, his hips pushing back against Kabuto's.

Kabuto groaned under his breath and broke the kiss, supporting himself on an elbow, and reaching down between their bodies to undo Sasuke's pants. The teen bucked his hips, his eyes glazed and his cheeks flushed lightly.

Kabuto's erection was aching and confined in his pants, his body too hot and sensitive. Sasuke's skin was smooth against his, their chests sliding against each other and slim hands kneading the muscles of Kabuto's back.

Kabuto finally got the pants open and slipped his hand inside them, meeting hot bare skin. Sasuke groaned and arched, his hands burying themselves in Kabuto's hair. He wriggled around, using his hips and the bed to get the pants below his knees and slip one foot out of them, and quickly wrapped himself around Kabuto's hips, thighs spread and offering.

Kabuto gasped, hurriedly unzipping his pants and pushing down his boxers. Sasuke hissed a curse and told him to hurry, hips and heat thrusting desperately against Kabuto's groin.

Kabuto watched, aching with need, as Sasuke wet a finger in his mouth and reached down behind himself, wincing slightly as he stretched himself minimally. It seemed to take an eternity before Sasuke whispered, "Fuck me, hard,"

Kabuto thrust and sheathed himself fully in tight hot heaven, groaning as his shaft forced the taut passage to widen around him very quickly. Sasuke let out a choked sob and his hands dug into Kabuto's shoulders. "Move!"

Kabuto wanted to wait for the teen to adjust, but the note of raw need in his voice broke his control and he followed the fiery heat in his body, pounding into Sasuke with no control, panting, groaning with each thrust. The teen's eyes closed tightly with each slam of Kabuto's hips, a small gasped whimper escaping perfect lips, before opening wide and starkly spinning red, a breathless moan shivering into the bedroom as Kabuto pulled out.

The room no longer seemed cold, the half torn down sheet below them rustling with their movements. Sasuke's panting grew faster and more desperate, and he stiffened, biting his lip—his back arched taut, and hot bliss clamped down on Kabuto's cock—Sasuke let out a shaky breath and came hot and helpless over their abdomens.

Kabuto snarled and thrust again, his climax a crash of pleasure and satisfaction that nearly knocked him unconscious. He supported himself on his elbows above the gasping teen, shivering away the last waves of his orgasm.

Sasuke moved first, grumbling about Kabuto's weight. He got off the bed and pulled up his pants. "The kids." he muttered, and disappeared.

Kabuto watched him go before standing as well and randomly picking a few pieces of clothing out of the mess on the floor.

°

Sasuke hadn't told Kabuto about Naruto's injury, and he though it strange that he was wondering why. He basically never talked about his friends with Kabuto, why should he do it about Naruto?

He watched the client clamber into the backseat, where he was lying stretched out and half-naked. The guy went about his business and Sasuke faked the usual moans and gasps, his eyes on the lights of the dashboard. There was a picture of a small girl in a frilly dress hanging from the rearview mirror. She looked a lot like Tsume, actually.

The client finished, payed Sasuke, and let him out.

The parking lot was fullish, cars continuously coming and going and very few spaces left. Sasuke crunched his way out of the car-lit gloom and onto Whore, making his way back to the Konoha.

The long snake of gleaming cars, lights flashing and blinking against the clothing of the whores and the wet concrete—the rain was coming intermittently, drizzling for short times every now and then—were dismal under the dark cloud-covered sky. The apartment building's lights were on behind curtains, beacons in the darkness above the misama of bright garish light and filth.

Sasuke lit a cigarette and watched one of the junkies chat up a worried-looking businessman.

It started drizzling lightly just as he was taking the first drag, the cold drops pattering onto his coat. He grimaced and walked a bit faster.

... Kabuto was actually going through with the divorce. Sasuke let the smoke unfurl into a rain-broken cloud and felt the red swirls loosen their grip on his eyes, the pressure easing as he grew calm. It was good news.

And he and—Haku, was it?--would try to fix Naruto. Help him. Something like that. God knew he deserved it.

He reached the Konoha, where Kiba and Shino were asleep. The two of them had returned from begging soon after the others had come back from the hospital—Sasuke had still been at Kabuto's—and it seemed as though they'd gone ballistic and worried about the blonde kid.

The group had been bouncing theories about how Naruto had been hurt back and forth when Sasuke had returned, and he had wondered whether to tell them that the kid'd been raped. He'd decided against it, it would only have made everyone suspect Gaara, which would have made Naruto angry...

Sasuke was getting way too nice.

Ino was changing on her nest of blankets. In the cold she usually wore a thick jacket underneath one of those lingerie corsets that accentuated her slender figure. Her jeans were tight and looked almost painful to wear, and her red boots gleamed in the pink neon light. She twisted her hair into a bun and secured it with a simple pin, grinning hello at Sasuke.

He nodded back and finished his cigarette. Gai was standing expectantly on the curb, but it seemed as though everyone else had a customer.

Ino finished tightening her corset and called, "Can I have a cig?"

Sasuke threw her one and they settled down on his mattress to a slow quiet smoke.

And tomorrow, he'd go to Slum Street.

°

Haku waited at the Slum bus stop, smoking his last cigarette and wishing he'd have dressed in an extra layer. The slush caught in the street drains was half-frozen and it was even too cold to smell the usual stink of greasy food, filth and unwashed bodies.

He glanced down the street to where the crack that led to Zabuza's brothel was. Zabuza had allowed him to go out for a few hours only, and he hoped that he could make it back by then. They were having a lot of smooth times just now, and he didn't want to ruin it. It had been a while since he'd had a bruise that wasn't from sex, and it felt nice, almost like a normal relationship.

But if Naruto needed help, then he'd gladly sacrifice all that stupid normality crap. Naruto was worth way more than a few bruises, and Naruto had also done more than get bruises in Haku's defense before.

When the blonde kid, scrawny and too pretty for his own good, had shown up first in front of Jiraiya's brothel as the newest addition to the white-haired man's vast collection of lost, half-dead sex workers, Haku had liked him on sight. They'd taken to waiting on the curb together, not really talking but comfortable in the knowledge that they were something like friends.

Sort of, at least. They were both too jaded to trust the feeling much, but they felt more secure around each other than around the other whores, which was a blessing.

Haku still hadn't understood what Naruto had done to get Jiraiya to let him go. It must have been something big, because Naruto was quite a star on Slum, almost Haku's equal when it came to the piles of chips they laid in front of their respective owners every night. And Haku was elite in his own right.

But either way, Naruto had made it out and onto Whore, something truly enviable. Haku had better things to do than be jealous of a friend about their workplace, though. He wouldn't want to leave Slum even if he were able to—Zabuza was what didn't let him, and Zabuza was what made him not want to leave.

"Hey," a cold voice murmured from his right. A bus trundled off down the street in a burst of exhaust and groaning machinery.

Haku looked up and into black eyes that were traced with stark red designs. He smiled. "Hey."

The other teen nodded and glanced around them. The hut was empty, and Slum was pretty dead at this time of the day, only a couple of old grandmas pushing their shopping carts to get to the store on Heer Street.

The other kid—Sasuke, right...?--was a study in perfection, the kind of chiseled and slender beauty that made anyone's heart throb. His sharp contours and pale smooth skin, the stark contrast of his dark hair and clothes—it all combined to make him look even more exotic and flawless.

"So..." Sasuke muttered, taking out a cigarette and lighting it using a peculiar little ritual that looked like it had been perfected over years of practice.

Haku started. "Oh, right. Well, I was sitting in the Red Sand Bar the other day," he beckoned for Sasuke to follow him, "And was talking with the cook there about Naruto's new life and all when he suddenly looked shocked and said that he was the Sandman's uncle. We talked about that for a bit, and last night I went back and asked him whether he knew where Gaara could be, since he's seemingly disappeared again—the siblings told him(the cook) that he's not at home or at work, so..."

"And did he tell you where?"

"He gave me some places where we could look. They're all pretty seedy, but I guess it's worth a try."

"How do you know we can even trust this cook person?"

"Oh, Yasha-chan is the sweetest guy ever. He takes care of anyone who needs help, he did it for Naruto too—he only wants to help, and he's not a liar. Don't worry."

Sasuke grunted behind him, and Haku just shrugged.

They stopped at a cigarette machine so Haku could get new cigarettes, and continued down the gloomy winding length of Slum. "The first place is a sort of bar-club-restaurant thing that's a bit farther into the slummy part here." Haku turned right into a pathetic dingy excuse for an alley. The houses on either side towered over the narrow street, and filth encrusted the pavement.

Haku lit a cigarette and glanced over at Sasuke. The other kid was studying their surroundings with veiled distaste and bland disinterest. He could be really unpleasant, it seemed.

Red-swirled eyes met Haku's. "What brand is that?"

It took Haku a bit to figure out what he was talking about. "Oh, they're the cheapest long ones you can get. Evgenia or something like that." He glanced down at his cigarette.

Sasuke nodded.

°

Ugh. This was more than seedy, this was disgusting.

The bar was called the Grim Reaper, and it looked like everyone inside was awaiting the place's namesake with joy. The dim, smoke-choked room was half-full, shady figures leaning on the greasy neon-lit bar and downing shot after shot of cheap-looking liquor.

Sasuke wrinkled his nose and followed Haku to the bar, where the beautiful teen spoke softly with the bartender and a few small chips changed hands. The bartender, a heavyset, unshaven man with no teeth, glared at both of them ferociously before leading them through a small door with a massive lock and into a back room that was very different from the main one.

Haku murmured into Sasuke's ear, his breath shivering down the teen's neck—the guy was too pretty, dammit!--, "This place has a back room that serves as a _shicha_ bar, but they charge entrance."

Sasuke nodded. It wasn't a surprise, either; _shicha_ bars were illegal for some obscure reason, and usually flourished in slum places like these.

The room was lit dimly in an orange-red, the light warm and glowing on the embroidered couches and stools that stood against the walls. Men and women were sitting and murmuring in low voices in the gloom, and the place reeked of the too-sweet tobacco that was smoldering on the pipes.

Haku sat down on a couch and muttered into Sasuke's ear, "Hey, I don't know what he looks like. You check it out."

Sasuke nodded and glanced around. Big fat guy, no... praying mantis guy, no... woman, no...

"It doesn't look like he's here," he said.

Haku sighed and stood just as the door opened. A tall slender form filled the doorway and cold eyes scanned the room, resting on Sasuke.

Sasuke looked up into teal ice and said, "Oh. There he is."

And now what? This was the Sandman and who knew whether he was in a good mood... who knew whether he was _ever _in a good mood?

Haku glanced at the man in the doorway and back down at Sasuke. "That's him?"

Sasuke nodded. Gaara had noticed him, but he was waiting in the door, expectant.

Haku sat back down and beckoned for Gaara to sit. The redhead raised an eyebrow, his face otherwise immobile, and obliged, sitting on a stool across from them. His body moved, muscles bunching and tensing, with absolutely feline grace, dangerously aware and alert.

Sasuke spoke in the dim smoky air. "Naruto really needs to see you."

Both Haku and Sasuke started as the redhead's eyes narrowed and flashed.

There was silence, aside from the soft conversations around them, and Haku murmured, "He's not doing well and he thinks you... are disgusted by him."

Gaara's eyes narrowed further. He rubbed viciously at his forehead, where a pale scar gleamed in the reddish gloom.

The fat bartender appeared and set a pipe down on the table between them. He vanished just as quickly as he had come and Sasuke wondered how much he knew about Gaara.

Haku helped himself to the pipe. Sasuke envied the beautiful kid's calm, but then maybe Slum gave you some experiences that made the Sandman seem like Santa Claus. He looked up.

Gaara was watching both of them, tense. He murmured, cold and terse, "Where is he?"

Sasuke gave him hospital and room number.

Haku blew out a cloud of mango-scented smoke. "He's feeling guilty about a lot of things that aren't his fault, and he really needs you to... uh, you know."

"Be... a boyfriend... sort of... thing." Sasuke managed. This was unreal. He was telling the Sandman to be a better boyfriend to his best friend.

Gaara's lips thinned and his eyes got colder.

"Well, we'll be going then." Haku muttered, and pulled Sasuke to his feet.

They hurried out of the bar, through the dark front room, and into the icy filth of the alley.

Both of them simultaneously and hurriedly lit a cigarette. They smoked in tense silence.

"Do you think that helped?"

Sasuke shrugged. "No idea."

Haku sighed and nodded. His dark liquid eyes brightened. "Well, we know where to find him now!"

Sasuke looked at him incredulously. "We just told the Sandman that he has to be nicer to his boyfriend, and you're _glad _we know where to find him?"

Haku winced. "Oh. Right." He waved a nonchalant hand and asked, "Hungry?"

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Okay, okay. This was kinda bad an choppy, but it's a chapter. I think the birthday will be in two chaps, and then the story will be OVER. Yeah.

And, though I know I'm an evil slacker, I will be starting a new fic. If anyone here likes Avatar The Last Airbender as well as the pairing ZukoSokka... keep your eyes peeled. I dunno whether it'll be soon, but it WILL happen.

Please review!!!


	37. Chapter 37

HEY PEOPLE!!!

...um. Yeah.

Here's chap 37, and just so you know... my Avatar fic is up. ZukoSokka mpreg...yum!

Randomness: Patti Smith, "Godspeed".

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Suit Square

The hospital room was terrifying.

He'd barely made it through the last night, the cold blackness eating him up and vague dangerous shapes looming over him in a sick parody of a child's night-fright. He'd pulled his blankets over his head and cried silently.

And now... his Daddy was leaning over him, Jiraiya was somewhere behind him, Mizuki had settled himself on the mattress next to Naruto's trembling form, and the snake-guy...

He wasn't here anymore, was he? Naruto didn't dare look. Instead, he squeezed his eyes even tighter closed.

Flashes of pain went through him as all the stuff he'd tried to forget came up like a bad meal, slamming into him with the momentum of an eighteen wheeler. Every new flashback was a bit more real, in each one he was a bit more wholly there, completely in the pain of it all--

He whimpered under his breath as Jiraiya told him, _"You like this so much, little princess_."

He hated that name! Oh, how he hated that name. It was disgusting and sickening and reminded him of the special closet in Jiraiya's brothel... the short little dresses and those toys that hurt horribly and...

Mizuki was whispering that he'd come for him, that they'd never be apart again. Daddy was shouting for his breakfast.

Naruto bit his lip and struggled to calm down. It couldn't be real, couldn't be real, couldn't be real, _couldn't be real_... he swallowed a sob and started violently when a soft venomous voice asked, "_What can't be real?_"

The snake-guy stood at the foot of the bed and his slithering voice joined the rest of the pain.

Naruto clutched his blanket to himself and tried to concentrate on something in the 'real' reality, something that wasn't connected to pain and fear and guilt...

Tsunade's snores were extremely loud, snorting explosions of sound through the silent room. Naruto could see the dim glow of the windows through his thin sheet.

It was working, the concentrating, it was working!

Suddenly Jiraiya was laughing raucously, drunk. He muttered, slurring his words, "_Not worth half of the money you spread your legs for, princess. You're... not worth half."_

Naruto swallowed hard.

"_Say it, Naruto. Say it!"_ Mizuki's eyes were heavy and slimy on him.

_"Haha, you held out for a long time the last time... but tonight, I'll break you. I'll start with the kanji, hmm?"_

A ragged cold blade slid up Naruto's leg and he didn't even register that that should be impossible with him underneath the sheet. The cold metal reached the raised tissue of the kanji on the back of his thigh, and Naruto could see it in his mind's eye, the perfect silvery strokes and turns...

Daddy was muttering, _"Hana. You bitch. You can't live without me, what the fuck are you running for? You need me."_

_"You need this," _Jiraiya slurred.

Naruto whimpered out loud and his jaw cracked with the strength he'd been pressing it together with.

Mizuki's hand slid up his back.

He shook his head desperately. Help. He needed help. He needed... "Gaara..."

Help.

"_Heh, trembling so sweetly. How long will it take for the kanji to be gone, hmm?"_

Naruto refused to listen. He wouldn't listen!

The knife began cutting, white-hot pain on his thigh. Naruto whimpered again.

He tried to move away but the fear and nightmare moved with him, his mind following his body--

A cool touch on his shoulder, not gentle but not harsh, brought him out of the dreadful vision with a start. He lay still, trying to identify... was the hand real? Or was it another trick of his mind to break him, another slam of pain?

But the others were gone, the mocking voices and the hungry eyes...

The hand on his shoulder tightened, no longer calm. Naruto sat up slowly and dared to peek, slowly, slowly--

The darkness of the room was comforting—nothing moved in the shadow, nothing taunted him. The soft, even breathing of the other occupants and Tsunade's amazing snores were a soothing, normal melody.

He looked to where the hand had left his shoulder and returned to a jeans pocket. His eyes widened. "G--"

The redhead covered his mouth swiftly, his eyes flat and cold and oh-so-beautiful in the gloom. Naruto nodded his acquiescence to staying quiet and the cool dry palm left his lips.

The moment Gaara stopped touching him, the darkness grew menacing. Naruto reached for the still tall form standing next to the bed, not caring whether it would make him angry, just needing—his hands touched the soft leather of the redhead's coat, then slid up to clutch at straight sinewy shoulders. The blonde vaguely felt Gaara tense, but the Sandman displayed no other reaction and so Naruto buried his face into fragrant, supple leather, breathing in deep all of the sharp and refreshing smell that was Gaara's essence.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry, I—"

He couldn't say his apologies yet. Mizuki still hovered too close. If he apologized now, the memories would resurface. Later. "I—I love you, Gaara. And—sorry."

The redhead's cold hands grazed down Naruto's back, not tender but not cold, and after a short while one arm wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him close.

Briefly. But it was enough.

Naruto cried a little, warm saltiness rolling down his cheeks. He had to burrow deeper into the softness of Gaara's jacket to muffle his sniffing.

The redhead shifted and cupped the back of Naruto's neck firmly, tilting his head back. The blonde had to bite his lip to keep silent. Sharp teeth sunk into his skin and his hands clenched in the folds of Gaara's jacket.

The hot pain in his neck anchored Naruto further, the feeling of Gaara's strong firm body above him, the rustling of the sheets beneath him, Tsunade's bellowing snores behind him—all of it was drawing him back, keeping the memories away. He gasped as Gaara's other hand slid beneath his the hospital T-shirt and found the kanji that splayed its beautiful self over his belly.

Gaara caressed him roughly, his hands harsh and demanding on his skin. His teeth traveled up to Naruto's earlobe, biting deep and probably drawing blood. The blonde arched against him, pressing his lips together to keep his gasp in as heat flooded his veins.

He shifted back on the sheets, laying down, offering himself to the pale slim form above him. His hands were still curled into the leather of the coat.

Gaara's lips twitched and he leaned down to bite a fiery trail of pain and pleasure down Naruto's chest. The T-shirt was pushed up and off and Naruto writhed helplessly, covering his mouth with a wrist, his teeth sinking into his own flesh to keep from crying out.

The redhead's hands moved to his hips, holding him still. Sharp teeth sliced a burning line down Naruto's abdomen, stopping shortly before the waistband of his pants.

Naruto arched plaintively as Gaara drew away. He dropped his arms to his sides, his breathing ragged. The quiet of the hospital room was broken by another massive snore.

The redhead smiled slightly again in the pale gloom and kissed him harshly, crushing their lips together and forcing his tongue into Naruto's mouth.

Naruto's hands locked behind the pale neck and he pressed up into the strong body above him, sighing into the kiss. Gaara pulled away again, and this time he stayed away, standing beside the bed. His eyes were teal ice, and his immobile face was set in a slightly—_very _slightly—amused expression.

Naruto sat up and whimpered under his breath. "Gaara?" he whispered. "Please don't go..."

The redhead reached out and ruffled Naruto's hair, that half-smile appearing again on his thin, pale lips. His eyes shifted and flicked around the room at the sleeping occupants, and one shoulder raised and dropped by millimeters.

Naruto nodded, sighing softly. "I guess."

The tall form nipped at his earlobe a last time, Naruto closed his eyes and gasped, and when he opened them again Gaara was gone, the door to the room swinging shut on silent hinges.

°

When he stepped out of the hospital and into the freezing cold of the parking lot, he already felt invigorated. Being cooped up in the dreary hospital room hadn't help matters with his psyche.

He ran a hand through his hair and made his way to the bus stop. He was still limping slightly, but the pain was bearable.

The blonde scrubbed at his neck. The tendrils of painful thought and memory were still floating nearby, but Naruto could easily keep them down just now. Gaara's visit plus the release from the hospital... Mm.

The bus stop was empty aside from a little kid and a sad-looking young lady. The three of them stood in the cold and waited. The hospital was on a huge street, and only a narrow sidewalk separated the gleaming car-lined parking lot from a wide black expanse. Cars sped past, and there was no traffic jam yet.

The gray sky reflected in the metallic colors of the automobiles, and the pavement was dark with old moisture—it must've rained the day before. Naruto shifted.

The bus came in a cloud of stinking exhaust and Naruto eagerly got on and into the warmth. The little boy from the bus stop huddled into a seat at the very back and the young lady stayed standing at the doors. The ragged gray upholstery and the flaking metal poles looked grimy in the green neon light. The floor was filthy, dirt tracked in with the wet and rain and long dirty skid marks, footsteps decorating the already disgusting linoleum.

Naruto went upstairs and sat down in the very back. This bus line started only a station before the hospital, and wasn't very full yet.

He stared out the window, trying to ignore his nervosity. His stomach was roiling.

He was going—home. To Gaara. Would the redhead be angry? It was true that he'd come to visit, and that he'd bitten and kissed him, but Naruto still hadn't told him who had hurt him—and as Jiraiya had said, he seemed to attract weirdos like Mizuki. Gaara had already had to save him from the snake-guy, and now Mizuki... Naruto sighed.

And what if—what if Gaara wasn't even there? What if he was out working and Mizuki...

Naruto shook his head and watched the cars speed by. Not good.

He'd think about something else.

°

Gaara was home after all, his dark boots standing on the step. The cool air of the stairwell gave way to the soft warmth of the apartment and Naruto took off his own shoes, moving inside. He dropped his coat on the tatami, the soft leather sighing over the smooth floor.

The blonde bit his lip and stepped toward the living room.

The pale gray light of midmorning gleamed on the tatami mats, and the red couch was occupied by a tall pale form, sitting with one knee up and the other relaxed, one arm over the back of the couch and the other holding ta magazine. Teal eyes were scanning the glossy pages and Naruto recognized it as the City magazine.

"Looking for a job?" he asked, grinning and walking to the couch.

Gaara's eyes locked onto his and he nodded, barely. Then he dropped the magazine and pulled Naruto to stand in front of him. The blonde swallowed hard, eyes caught in turquoise depths that dragged him down beyond... beyond what?

"Who?" the icy voice asked, and Naruto swallowed again.

"I—Gaara, I don't want you to keep on doing this. You did it with... Snake-guy already, I don't need you to... to hurt these people. They're my problem, and--"

Gaara snarled softly, dangerously, and suddenly Naruto was lying on the couch with teal ice an inch away from his own eyes. "You are mine, and I will protect you. Who did this?"

Naruto whimpered softly as his body reacted to the dangerous sound of the redhead's voice and the possessiveness lacing it. "I--"

"Tell me."

Naruto bit his lip. He shouldn't say it—if he did, Gaara might get into trouble with the Force, and they couldn't have that. But then, the Force was already on the lookout for Gaara, wasn't it?

"But you've already done too much for me. I'm sure he'll forget about me, he--"

Gaara's hands gripped his shoulders and shook him once, roughly. "Tell me."

And so Naruto told him. And Gaara was gone.

°

Naruto cleaned the apartment for the second time that week. It was a relaxation thing.

Then he decided to bake. His birthday party was two days away and he should be getting ready for it.

He went through the motions of cake-making mechanically, settling into a comfortable rhythm while his mind wandered and worked furiously.

He didn't know why he'd really been so reluctant to tell Gaara about Mizuki. Sure, it was true that he thought that Gaara had already done too much for him. But was that all of it?

Jiraiya's drunk voice drifted into his thoughts. "_You liked it, didn't you?"_

Naruto shuddered, pausing in coating the plastimetal cake form with butter. Was it that? That he... might have liked it? Some kind of strange Stockholm syndrome?

He pondered that for a moment, and then decided that that must have been it. His lip curled. He had been too far gone with his mental breakdown to notice the absurdity of it all.

The kitchen was cold, the window halfway open. He poured the batter into the cake form and shoved it into the oven. Setting the clock on the oven, he wondered what he could do while waiting.

It wasn't good to be unoccupied while waiting for Gaara to come back. He'd only get frantically worried.

He got up and peered into the fridge. Maybe there'd be something to make as dinner...

Cheese, milk, and... chives. Oh, and an old packet of ready-made meatballs.

Riiiight.

Well, shopping it was, then.

°

Naruto was packing the cake in aluminum foil when Gaara came back. The shopping bags were still standing on the counter, filled to bursting.

The redhead walked into the kitchen and pulled Naruto to himself. The blonde squeaked in surprise, dropping the roll of tin foil. Thin lips crushed onto his and Gaara basically stuck his tongue down his throat.

It wasn't until the redhead stepped back and dropped into one of the kitchen chairs with boneless, deadly grace that Naruto noticed the state of his clothing. He stared at it, then out the window where the night was just starting, the sky a dark gray-blue.

All of Gaara's clothing was drenched in stiff, blackish red blood.

"How the _fuck_ did you get back here without getting arrested?"

Gaara glanced down at himself and almost-shrugged, getting up and leaving the room, presumably to change.

Naruto watched the blood-soaked back recede down the corridor and rolled his eyes. "Insane."

He put the cake away.

Gaara came back a few minutes later in only jeans. He helped Naruto put the groceries away, his body moving with impossible grace even through those simple tasks. He put water on to boil, and Naruto asked, "Hungry?"

The redhead almost-shrugged, then nodded.

Naruto had found out that Gaara ate anything that was remotely edible. This made life with the silent redhead easier for him; if there was one thing he wouldn't be dying because of, then it was having cooked the wrong meal.

Once they were sitting over steaming mugs of tea and waiting for the cucumber soup to finish boiling, Naruto asked softly, "Um... so I guess you found Mizuki...?"

Gaara's lips twisted into an evil and rather insane smirk.

Naruto nodded nervously. "...right."

The Sandman chuckled softly and gave him an almost-smile. "Mizuki is taken care of."

"Well... I think I should thank you, th--"

Gaara's hand left his mouth and the teal eyes looked amused. "...Later."

°

The bedroom was nicely heated and the futon was soft beneath him. He was lying on his belly, his hands clenched in the pillows and his torso twisted around so that he could meet Gaara's lips.

The gleaming cold blade of the knife was slicing hot icy lines and arcs into his skin, and the ticklish feeling of blood rolling down his skin aroused him even beyond the excitement of the dangerous knife. Gaara was breathing slightly heavier than normal and even that minuscule sign of his weakening control drew moans from Naruto.

The hard, warm body was settled between Naruto's thighs, and the hand that wasn't holding the knife in a deadly grip was tight in his hair, holding him for the hot kiss. Gaara's teeth and tongue were violent and demanding, little whimpers escaping the blonde kid beneath him.

Pale hips ground into his buttocks, hard silkiness settled between them, teasing, hinting at further violence. The knife circled a hardened nipple and Naruto broke the kiss, crying out, as the blade slit into the sensitive skin. Gaara hissed softly and the knife moved to the other nipple, his free hand leaving Naruto's hair and teasing the already bloody nub, pinching and rolling--

Naruto gasped and whimpered a plea for more. His whole body was deliciously on fire from the cuts, his blood trickling softly over his skin. The tenderness of the scrapes, the heat of the pain they caused, slithered through him and formed a hot liquid pool in the small of his back.

Gaara pressed into him again, his hard shaft rough on the sensitive skin between Naruto's buttocks. Naruto moaned and pressed into the knife on his chest, urging the redhead on. "Please... in me..."

Gaara's mouth descended on the junction of Naruto's neck and shoulder, biting and licking. Naruto arched as the knife left his nipple and settled, calm and cold, in the dip between his collarbones. He froze, pleasure and anticipation coursing through him, adrenaline making him heady.

Gaara's free hand slid down to position himself perfunctorily and then he thrust, gripping Naruto's hip in a vice-like hold. Naruto shrieked as the thick hardness slid into him in one savage pound, his entrance burning with the feeling of being stretched too far.

Gaara snarled into Naruto's skin, the sound breathless.

He pulled back and thrust again, harder this time. Naruto arched into him and moaned. The next thrust, the next, the next—each one came deeper, faster, rougher and Naruto's lust was now a tight pulsing knot at the base of his spine. He pushed back into the thrusts, the two of them establishing a rhythm that became faster and faster and more violent--

Gaara was panting by now, his chest heavy and warm on Naruto's back. Naruto sobbed breathlessly and whispered, "I need it, Gaara, please--"

The knife at Naruto's collarbone, almost forgotten, slit a hot dangerous line to the side, and Naruto screamed, unprepared for it. Gaara snarled aloud and thrust hard enough to rip the tight muscle surrounding his shaft. The heat and pain thrummed through Naruto, the knot of pleasure inside him pounding like his heartbeat, quickening and intensifying--

"Gaara! Gaara, I--" He came so hard that he almost fell unconscious, only vaguely aware of the last heavy thrusts of Gaara's hips and the ragged whisper, "Naruto," with which the redhead climaxed inside him.

He came to a few moments later, when the flaccid shaft pulled out of him and warm liquid slid over his inner thighs. He rolled over, seeking out Gaara's eyes. The redhead was settled on one elbow over him, his expression unmoving. His chest still rose and fell irregularly.

"Love you, Gaara," Naruto murmured. "Thanks for coming last night, I—I needed you."

The redhead's lips twitched and he said, "Thank your friends."

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Lalalala!

Chap IS FINISHED.

Yayness.

Okay, and people, I want reviews for this one. I got very few for the last one. Next chap should be birthday bash, k?

CYA!!!


	38. Chapter 38

Um. BIRTHDAY BASH...YAY!!!

You guys have NO idea how long I have been waiting/trying to write this chapter.

EDIT: I AM SOOOO SORRY FOR THE DELAY. I was lazy, and I have no excuse.

Randomness: E Nomine, 'Vater Unser'

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Suit Square

"Mmmh... I—Kabuto, go harder, I—_harder_, dammit..."

Kabuto buried his lips in Sasuke's hair, his hands keeping the boy still as he tried to thrust deeper, forced himself further--

They both groaned as the man slid further, harder _in_, and Kabuto's eyes slid shut as he tried to stop himself from screaming at the way that tight silkiness shifted and pulled at him.

He slowly opened them again, and stared down at the boy. Long pale thighs quivered around his hips, the warm soft skin behind the boy's knees sliding over his sides. Sasuke's head was thrown back and the pale smooth expanse of his throat was bared, the slim chest heaving. The flat, soft skin between the sharp hipbones was clenching and releasing rhythmically as the boy rose up to meet Kabuto's thrusts, muscles tensing and relaxing helplessly. Long fingers scrabbled for purchase on the tatami—they hadn't made it past the entrance area today.

Sasuke's chin rose, the soft spikes of his hair sighing over the smooth round tatami, and his half-lidded eyes, almost more spinning solid red than black, locked onto Kabuto's. "_Move._"

Kabuto bit back a moan at the pure urgency in the kid's icy voice, and complied.

He thrust deep into grasping heat, thrust again, again, again--

He watched, enraptured, as Sasuke's head fell back, and one hand reached out to support his neck, sliding into night black hair, just to see the way the crimson wheels spun so very quickly and beautifully.

They rocked into each other, Sasuke's skin gleaming with sweat. His hands reached up to smooth the hair from Kabuto's forehead, and then clenched in the locks, his eyes squeezing shut and his mouth opening in a shriek, as Kabuto thrust the last time and fell with a groan over the warm, heaving form of his lover.

Sasuke let out a strangled gasp, and warm moisture slid down their abdomens.

Kabuto sighed into soft black hair that smelled of nothing—Sasuke was never dirty in any way, and the day when he had greasy hair would be the Apocalypse. But whatever or however he washed, he didn't seem to use anything that left a scent.

Sasuke murmured, "Get off."

Kabuto grinned to himself and obeyed, pulling his pants up and stepping up onto the tatami. Sasuke did the same and then looked around for his T-shirt and sweater, black eyes flicking over the floor.

"It's all right," Kabuto said. "The kids won't be home for another hour at least."

The boy shrugged and said, "Found it anyway."

Kabuto watched him slide the black T-shirt over his head, and then the sweater, and couldn't help but feel a bit regretful about the way the white smooth skin was hidden so quickly.

Sasuke looked up at him, eyes flashing, and smiled.

Kabuto laughed under his breath. He knew that Sasuke knew him too well. But the irony was that _Sasuke _didn't know that _Kabuto _knew him exactly as well.

Kabuto wiped his glasses clean of the fog of sex, and put them back on. He saw the way Sasuke's eyes avoided his and the way the red was disappearing as the kid made tea for them and poured rice into the cooker. He got out the package of sponge cake.

Sasuke sat down and lit a cigarette.

"What's wrong?"

It was a Friday, early afternoon. Two tea mugs stood on the table between them, and Sasuke was chewing a bite of sponge cake in distant contemplation, his eyes pure light less black and his whole form tense.

"What's wrong?"

The teen seemed to wake up, his raven eyebrows furrowing. He looked at Kabuto, opened his mouth, then looked away again.

The cigarette in his left hand was smoking lazily, an off-white veil curling into the room. The dim light fell in over the cool tiles, and the clock on the oven was blinking a luminous red.

Kabuto drank some tea and continued looking at the kid. The pale, pale skin was tantalizingly displayed today, the T-shirt that Sasuke wore much too big for him and sliding down his shoulder on one side. The smooth shadowed dips of his collarbone and the indent where his shoulder began rounding out shifted with every movement. Sasuke's long pale neck looked tempting, soft and inviting. The thin lips were pressed in their usual grim line, and the inky dark eyes were trying hard to be expressionless.

But Sasuke's nervosity wasn't really visible in his expression anyway, not ever—Kabuto recognized it by the way that the cigarette was simply tucked between his fingers, left to burn itself down, the ash crumbling onto the black table. Sasuke's mind was somewhere else.

The teen's pale, slender fingers reached out and broke off another piece of sponge cake from the packet that lay between them. He raised the crumbly yellow sweet to his mouth and Kabuto wondered whether it was normal to get aroused at the sight of those fingers pushing the treat between pale sensuous lips.

Kabuto tried again. "Sasuke, you're wasting your cigarette."

The kid blinked slowly and looked at the pathetic remnant of a cigarette hanging from his fingers. He narrowed his eyes and tsked, grinding the butt out in the glass ashtray between them.

Kabuto chuckled softly and stood, stepping around the table and leaning over the teen. Soft black hair brushed against his forehead as he leaned down and said, "What's going on?"

A little flash of red gleamed in the kid's eyes. Anger. Kabuto just smiled.

Sasuke pushed him away, using what seemed to be all of his strength. Kabuto took a step back and stayed there, expectant.

Black eyes slid to the floor and the soft, smoke-roughened voice said, "Do you have time tomorrow night?"

Kabuto reached for his chair and pulled it over so that he could sit directly across from Sasuke. The metal feet of the chair scraped over the tiles. He sat down. "I probably do."

Sasuke nodded slightly. He looked annoyed. Probably with himself. "My... fr—colleag--_friend _is having his birthday party tomorrow. I won't be working so that I can go to it. And I was thinking..." he stopped, lighting a cigarette and blowing out a white plume of stinging smoke.

Kabuto smiled in amusement. He wasn't going to help out.

Sasuke's eyes flicked up to him in irritation. "Well, I--" he looked away again and a faint pink tinge appeared on his high cheekbones.

Kabuto laughed softly. "I can come, if you want me to."

The teen looked relieved and pleased for a second, and then his eyes shuttered and his face reverted to the usual cold mask.

But red spun in ebony orbs, and Kabuto was too good at reading him by now to be fooled. The cigarette was gone in five drags, and their silence was comfortable.

°

Ukon was humming an irritating song, some modtechno beat that was insanely catchy and popular. He dipped a slender finger into the small pot of sweet lemony icing, and raised the white-dripping digit to his lips, licking the sugary liquid off. The counter was flour-dusted and milk, butter, and a half-empty egg carton were scattered on the cheap plastic. The mixing bowl had already been licked clean and stood in the sink, warm water filling it to the rim.

Kankuro was lying on the couch and trying to concentrate on his book. He wasn't looking at the way Ukon's finger moved between green-painted lips, or at the way his mouth pursed, sucking at the digit--

"Ukon--"

The silver-haired man was wearing jeans that were more holes than cloth, the ripped fabric hugging his long legs. His flat stomach sloped down into the pants, and while the bottoms of the jeans were torn and cut short, they still hid his feet except for the big left toe, on which a silver ring sparkled in the warm light of the overhead lamp. He wore a very loose, stained white shirt that had been ripped to expose his belly, and his piercings rang with each of his movements.

He looked up from the icing and smiled innocently. "What?" His finger dipped into the yellowish fluid again, and slid into his mouth.

Kankuro groaned and covered his eyes with his book. "Shouldn't you be conserving the icing instead of eating it all?" he muttered, his voice muffled by the dusty pages of the tome.

Ukon's voice sounded sadistically amused. "Oh, there's more than enough left for Naru-chan's cake. What's wrong, Kankuro?--" he heard the soft footsteps of the man as he moved towards the couch-- "--Are you not feeling well?"

Kankuro dropped his book as a warm soft body settled on top of him, one leg tucked in between his hip and the back of the sofa and the other still on the floor. Ukon grinned down at him, rolling his hips seductively.

Kankuro shook his head despairingly and reached up to pull the silver-haired man in for a deep kiss.

Ukon laughed under his breath, his lips—cool and moist from the green lipstick—settling onto Kankuro's with that amazing jolt of pleasure that had shocked Kankuro so badly the first time they had ever kissed. His slender hips rocked against Kankuro's, and his hands were roaming the other man's chest, finding the hem of his T-shirt and sliding underneath it.

Kankuro growled into the hot, violent kiss as a cool hand pinched his nipple, teasing. He pushed the offending hand away—Ukon knew he didn't like that—and broke the kiss. "Get up."

Ukon snickered and obliged, letting Kankuro stand up. He pulled off his shirt, well aware of his lover's eyes hungrily following every one of his movements. Smiling, he let his hands slide down over his torso, palms flat on his skin, until he reached the frayed waistband of his jeans.

Kankuro watched him, standing a few steps away with his hands slipped into his pockets, trying to look at ease. Ukon loved knocking him off-balance, and Kankuro tried very hard not to give him the satisfaction of managing it. But when the pale thumbs hooked into the waistband of the jeans and began sliding them down over smooth thighs...

Ukon laughed breathlessly as Kankuro forced him down onto the couch, his jeans tangled around his calves and his arms flailing for purchase on the soft upholstery. The dark-haired man pulled his own T-shirt off and attacked Ukon's neck and chest with ferocity, kissing and licking at the soft skin. Ukon smiled lazily, his head falling backwards over the edge of the couch and his hips bucking up into Kankuro's firm, unyielding body.

Kankuro growled, his breath hot on Ukon's nipple, before catching it between his teeth. One hand was teasing Ukon's other nipple, while the free one was searching frantically in the crack between the sofa cushions for the... equipment... that they always ended up losing to the wilderness of the upholstery. Ukon's hands joined him in his search, and Kankuro chuckled around the hard bud in his teeth.

Ukon arched into his ministrations, and his hand closed around a vaguely tube-shaped object somewhere beneath him. He muttered raggedly, "I found it." At the same time, Kankuro's hand happened upon a cool plastic packet in the deepest recesses of the sofa's cushions. They offered up their discoveries, grinning challengingly at each other, chests heaving and aroused beyond sanity.

Kankuro snapped out of it first, his lips closing over Ukon's and tongue plundering the silver-haired man's mouth. Ukon moaned softly and Kankuro's hands busied themselves with the lube and the condom, one of his hands coating the fingers of the other with the cool cream and moving down between quivering thighs--

Ukon winced and made a strained noise as the first finger forced itself into him. The second finger had him panting heavily, trying to adjust, and the third finger made him bite his lip to keep from vocalizing the pain. He felt the digits move and press against him, and knew it wouldn't be long before-- "Kankuro!"

Kankuro grinned against his lover's lips and blessed the fact that they'd been together long enough for him to know exactly how to stimulate the man. He pressed down harder inside the tight yielding heat and Ukon groaned hoarsely. Green lips parted and the man whispered, his voice laced with irritation, "Just—fuck me, dammit..."

Kankuro laughed breathlessly and shifted between the slender man's legs, slowly sliding his fingers out of taut silk. Ukon winced and wrapped his arms around his lover's neck, grinding his hips up toward the other man. Kankuro caught his groan between his teeth, moving forward and thrusting with more care than usual.

Ukon noticed. After the first few moments of breathless, strained silence as Kankuro held himself back from pounding the slim man into next year and Ukon tried to adjust to the thick hardness splitting him apart, the silver-haired man muttered irritably, "What the fuck, Kankuro? I'm not a wimp, you kn—Oh my fucking... Ah!"

Kankuro grinned into the heaving, sweat-slicked skin of his lover's neck as he deepened his thrusts, gritting his teeth from the effort it took to keep his movements even and regular. Ukon writhed beneath him, gasping incoherent curses into Kankuro's hair.

The upholstery made an annoying squeaking sound beneath their convulsing bodies as Ukon spread his legs further and locked his ankles behind Kankuro's back. Kankuro grunted sharply as the movement shifted the tight silky heat around his shaft, the muscles rippling and tensing. He lost control of the difficult task of keeping himself from--

"Kankuro!"

--going insane. He growled under his breath as the muscles around him tightened again, and his hands clamped down on Ukon's shoulders, keeping him still as he drove himself deep into the silky heat, over and over again, deeper and faster and more and more--

Ukon moaned raggedly, his hands clutching at the skin of his shoulders. His eyes were half-closed, green glinting through his long lashes. The green lipstick was smeared, and the panting, kiss-swollen lips parted hungrily for air. A slight flush stained his cheeks and his whole body was glistening with sweat, muscles moving fluidly beneath white skin. The piercings chimed and winked in the light.

Ukon groaned hoarsely, his hands nearly painful on Kankuro's shoulder blades, and muttered, "I'm about to..."

Kankuro snarled as silky heat tensed around him, clamping down on him suddenly. Ukon gasped, "Oh hell, I—fucking love you, you know?" raggedly, his hips jerking up as he came.

Kankuro buried his face in the heaving sweaty silk of the other man's hair, and thrust a last time, his climax crashing over him.

They lay tangled together on the couch, chests heaving. Kankuro traced the outlines of Ukon's muscles lazily, his hand ghosting over the shadows of his ribs.

Ukon got up suddenly, cursing. Kankuro glared at him from his once-comfortable position, muttering, "What the fuck?"

Ukon ran to the oven. "The cake!"

°

The morning of Naruto's birthday was pretty much the same as those of all the days before it. Grey light glinted on the linoleum of Temari's kitchen floor, and the heaters were on as high as they could go without breaking the State energy conservation guidelines. A light drizzle pattered onto the window.

The heavy moist smell of dough hung in the room, and the virtvision was on in the living room, modtechno humming through the kitchen door. The kitchen door stood fully ajar, a bit of light spilling onto the carpet of the corridor between it and the half-open bedroom door.

"Hey, what comes next?"

"I dunno, just go with your instincts."

"This won't end well, Tenten... I can tell you that right now."

"Well, it's not my fault that Temari _doesn't have a cookbook_!" Tenten said, raising her voice so it would carry into the bedroom.

The two girls held their breath.

A disgruntled, sleepy voice called, "Oh, fuck off, Tenten! So I'm not a cook..."

The girls laughed. Tenten turned back to the cake she was decorating. "Hey, Ino, pass me that weird cloth thing?"

The blonde girl nodded, throwing Tenten the twist of cloth. Her silky golden hair had been bound back to a messy bun, and she had flour all over her baggy blue sweater. The tight jeans she was wearing scraped over the cold tiles as she moved her hips to the music from the living room, barely distinguishable over the discordant whine of the mixer.

Tenten sighed and put the finishing touches on the cake, before stepping back and looking at it critically. "There, all done."

She found some aluminum foil to wrap it in, and began covering it.

Ino chuckled over the loud mixer. "Hey, do you think Naruto'll like our presents?"

Tenten paused, before biting back a giggle that she wouldn't have wanted Temari to hear—a six-year old giggle. Her eyes gleamed black in the light. "Of course..."

They laughed again.

Tenten glanced up when a flash of movement registered in the corner of her eye. "Oh, you're up!"

"Gah, it's hard not to be, with this noise." Temari muttered irritably. "Is there coffee? Or tea?"

Tenten gave her a mug. "Here, have mine."

The woman chuckled dryly and took it. "Sure." Sipping at the hot brew, she looked Tenten up and down, eyes glowing with amusement.

The girl's hair was stained with flour, and the short blue T-shirt and lacy panties were covered with blotches of white. A dab of spilled batter stuck to the tip of her nose. Temari leaned down and licked it off.

Tenten made a face and pushed her away. "Come on, I want to get it packed up and all so that I can help Ino. I want to be able to finish all the baking before you leave for work."

Temari tsked in annoyance and looked at the blonde girl, who was trying very hard not to look at them, mixing the batter until it was almost frothing over the edges of the bowl. "Good morning."

Ino looked up, "Oh—good morning! Thanks for letting us use your kitchen."

Temari made a dismissive motion. "No problem, I don't bake at all, and this way I can act as though I actually contributed to Naruto's party."

Ino looked at her, trying to figure out whether she was serious, before trying a tentative laugh.

Temari bit back a chuckle and waved lazily, "I'm going to go shower."

Tenten nodded. "We might be finished before you're out. What time are you heading to Nar—to Gaara's place?"

"Well, Kankuro, Ukon and I are going together, I think we said at five. It starts at five-thirty, right?"

"Yeah," Ino confirmed.

"Well —see you two then, because I need a long shower to wake me up."

Ino laughed and said, "If it's warm, it'll just get you sleepy again."

The woman shrugged. "'Don't care." She walked slowly out of the kitchen and the girls listened to her footsteps across the living room and the click of the bathroom door closing before collapsing into giggles.

°

The key didn't seem to want to cooperate.

He tried to force it in, but of course that was no good. Then he forced himself to be calm, despite the fact that his heart was thumping madly—it had to be the smoking, not nervosity, because nervosity was impossible... right?--and slid it in slowly, turned it carefully in the icy wind, and the door clicked open.

He closed it behind himself with a loud slam—he'd had some of Kiba's rum before leaving the Konoha—and bent down to take off his shoes. Kabuto's stereotypical black leather suit shoes, the kid's colorful footwear, and the big round beige boots that belonged to Chouji stood on the dark wood of the entrance area already.

He walked into the kitchen—he was tipsy, but not drunk, and sounds registered slowly,but they _did _register, and he could hear the bass rumble of Chouji's voice from the living room—and found Kabuto nursing a cup of tea and poring over pages that were covered with long strings of Western letters and symbols, an indecipherable code that Sasuke had tried to understand often enough to know it was just not his thing.

Kabuto glanced up and gave him a small smile. His glasses glinted impenetrably. He was leaning over the kitchen table, one elbow one the papers and the other on the black glass, holding his mug and supporting his chin. His silver hair gleamed in the pale light, a few locks loose from the usual ponytail, falling over his forehead. His whole body—he was still in the same sort of suit that Sasuke had met him in, white shirt, elegant pants, black socks, dark blue tie—was tense, and Sasuke had the insane urge to greet him in old Eastern.

It was the rum.

Sasuke crossed to where the green teapot stood gleaming in the gray glow of the sky and poured himself tea. He glanced at the bottle of rum that stood next to it, and for appearances' sake—he usually _always _laced his tea as Kabuto did—splashed some in. He dropped into the seat across from the suit and watched him read silently over the pages of code.

After a few minutes, Kabuto looked up and adjusted his glasses just so that his eyes were visible, and smiled again.

Sasuke nodded back and said calmly, "We should leave at around four—I want to be there early." At least, he hoped it was calm.

"All right."

He fumbled for his cigarettes and lit one. The morning at the Konoha had been strange, excitement running high—Tenten and Ino had forced themselves to get up way early and had been gone by the time Iruka came around with a tub of ramen to say hi and give Kakashi the usual morning make-out session before hurrying for his bus. Kiba had produced the rum, and Shino had sat with Shikamaru discussing possible presents in monosyllabic sentences.

The guy Lee was together with and his silent relative had passed the Konoha around the time the bottle was two-thirds empty, and Kiba had assaulted them with loud greetings and questions that the guy had fended off with short silent answers and the girl had blushed and stuttered answers to. Lee had turned up later, bouncy and happy and monologuing about what he'd do before the party and how wide the cake he'd baked with Gai was...

"Are you hungry?"

Sasuke started slightly and looked up at Kabuto. "Sort of. Are you?"

Kabuto nodded. "I don't think the kids have eaten either."

Sasuke got up and opened the refrigerator. The rice from yesterday was still there—they hadn't eaten much of it—and Kabuto somehow always had lots and lots of vegetables.

The light patter of small feet on tatami sounded from the corridor, and Sasuke put the rice and peppers down on the counter, watching the door.

Tsume ran in first, wrapping herself around Sasuke's leg and grinning brightly up at him. "Sasuke! Tsume won against Aki in hide and seek! And today Chouji took us into town and we had fried jelly!"

Aki stood a bit farther behind her, shy, and Chouji took a seat at the table. Sasuke smiled a little and said, "Really? Well, are you hungry?"

"Yes!" they chorused, and Sasuke had to bite back a laugh, the rum warm and roiling in his abdomen. He turned around with difficulty, Tsume's death-grip on his leg complicating matters, and began to take out the pans and spices he needed.

°

"We should get going soon," Sasuke said, sliding the last of the plates into the dishwasher. Kabuto was at the sink, scrubbing the grease from the pans, and Chouji was wiping down the counter. The kids were sitting at the table, engrossed in the pages of nonsense that Kabuto had been busy with before. The clock on the oven said 3:45.

"Yes, we will." Kabuto said.

Chouji looked at them curiously, and the red wine and the rum had warmed Sasuke so much that he said, "Are you coming?"

"Where?" the babysitter asked, and Sasuke ignored Kabuto's amused grin at his expense.

"My friend is having a birthday party."

Chouji smiled and said, "It's nice of you to ask, but I have to watch the children."

There was silence for a few moments as Sasuke bent to drop the cutlery in the right compartments, and then Kabuto broke it, wiping the pan dry-- "They could come with."

Sasuke looked up and had to laugh. "They could."

Kabuto smiled. "Well then it's settled. Everyone's going."

They settled into silence, and Sasuke closed the dishwasher.

"But—I don't have a present!" Chouji said, looking heartbroken.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "It doesn't matter. I'm responsible for buying the food, and if we get a lot I don't think he'll care about the presents."

He looked down as a familiar grip clamped on his leg. "What?"

Tsume giggled and said, "We made you a picture."

Aki, standing close behind her, held up a squiggly, colorful painting. Chouji came to peer at it, and said, "So that's Kabuto... that's me... and that's Sasuke—and those are you two?"

Tsume nodded and grinned. "Forever and ever!"

Warm arms draped themselves around Sasuke's waist, and Kabuto murmured, "Forever?" amusedly.

Sasuke just leaned back into him and said, "Maybe later."

°

Kankuro rang Temari's doorbell, shivering a little in the icy cold. Ukon was sitting in the car at the curb. Temari's red sports car stood a bit farther back.

Temari came breezing out a few minutes later, holding a big white shopping bag and a six pack of vodka. Kankuro took the six pack and asked, "What's up?"

Temari shrugged. "Nothing much. Having a nice time actually. Yamanaka was sick today, so I didn't have someone staring over my shoulder the whole time."

The gray weather and keening wind followed them to Kankuro's car. Temari slid in the back, and Kankuro hurried into the driver's seat. The doors slammed shut over the sound of Temari and Ukon's cool greetings.

"We're already a bit late—I forgot the time." Kankuro admitted.

Temari laughed. "I doubt it'll be the end of the world if we come ten minutes late."

Ukon grinned. He was wearing those incredibly sexy red checkered pants that were such a nuisance to get off, and a wrinkled and torn, creamy silk dress shirt over a black T-shirt short enough to show the flat white skin of his belly. His piercings gleamed and chimed in the gloomy light. "So what'd you get him, blondie?"

Temari winked. "Not telling."

Kankuro chuckled. "Hey, which way was it again?"

"Right at the next crossroads, and then left. Dude, to think that the Sandman lives in a dead-normal family-block... I mean... where's the coolness factor in that?"

Temari reached out to slap Ukon lightly on the back of the head. "Nonexistent, obviously."

Kankuro laughed softly, busily maneuvering his very illegal way through a traffic jam, as they began an argument about whether gray or blue-gray described the color of the sky better.

°

Tenten looked up from the teapot as the doorbell rang shrilly. "I'll get it," she said.

Naruto nodded and grinned at her. He was filling one of the myriad bags of chips that Kiba had brought into a wide bowl. The kitchen window was open, and a few abandoned cigarettes smoldered forlornly in a small bowl on the counter. The small table was hidden by at least six different cakes, each one in a more original container than the last—Lee had proudly offered up a frightening masterpiece that he'd baked in an ancient Tupperware form, and the plastic had fallen in on itself and melted into the cake in a very disturbing way—and the chairs were filled with bags of chips and other salty snacks. An impressive collection of bottles—vodka, rum, wine, a bottle of sherry, one of that really expensive Western import...tekila?, and a few of soda and juice—stood underneath the table, gleaming in the cold light.

Tenten went out into the warm, dark corridor and stepped down form the tatami onto the stone of the entrance area, stumbling over shoes and coats. She pressed the button on the intercom and said, "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Kankuro. Are we late?"

Tenten laughed and pressed the buzzer. "Well, you're not the last, if that's what you're asking."

Leaving the door slightly ajar, she returned to the kitchen just as a swell of loud laughter exploded from the living room. Naruto met her eyes and laughed. "They've had too much wine, looks like."

She chuckled and returned to making tea.

The blonde was wearing his usual ripped and scuffed jeans and orange T-shirt, and his eyes were bright, bright sapphires. The tawny gold of his skin glowed even in the weak light of the cold evening.

Tenten fished the teabags out of the kettle and got herself a mug from the ones she'd collected to take into the living room. After hunting down sugar, she sweetened the hot brew and drank slowly, watching and waiting for Naruto to finish transferring all the greasy, salty snacks from their shiny packages to the bowls.

The sound of shoes scuffing over stone and crackling bags, the swish of shed coats and a murmur of breathless voices came from the corridor. Naruto looked up and went to the kitchen door, calling brightly, "Hey!"

Tenten followed him and peered over one bared, skinny shoulder.

Temari, Kankuro and Kankuro's weird boyfriend were dropping the last of their outside wear. Temari stepped up onto the tatami first, smiling at Naruto and pressing a big plastic bag into his arms. "Happy Birthday, kid."

Naruto grinned. "Thanks! What is this?"

"Your present, moron," Tenten laughed.

Naruto feigned an indignant pout before smiling again and saying, "Everyone else is in the living room, we're just getting snacks finished and stuff."

Temari nodded and glanced at Tenten shortly, giving her a secret smile. Then she turned and moved towards the living room, and Tenten followed the sway of her hips—she was wearing a miniskirt under a mesh minidress and lavender top, and her tights were lace-patterned—until she stepped out of sight.

God she was hot.

Tenten started as Naruto was jostled against her, pressing her into the door frame. Ukon had draped himself over the blonde, and was grinning wickedly, piercings glinting in the light, lips gleaming green, and now he said with a laugh, "Happy Birthday, kid."

"Why're you all calling me a kid? Fuckers." But of course Naruto was grinning, and he accepted the round box that Kankuro pressed into his hands with an anticipative gleam in his eyes. Kankuro squeezed his shoulders shortly, and then he grabbed Ukon and dragged him down towards the living room.

The two teens went back in the kitchen and began gathering up the things they wanted to serve in the living room. Naruto managed to hold onto four bowls and the presents he'd just gotten, and Tenten maneuvered two bowls, the teapot and her mug into some possible carrying position.

Chuckling and laughing, they managed the short way to the living room and dropped the stuff on the floor. Tenten found Temari and took her mug to go sit next to her, wrapping herself around the woman. Temari laughed softly and dryly, and one arm wrapped around Tenten's shoulders and fingers stroked through her hair.

"You look utterly sexy," Tenten muttered.

Temari laughed again.

Tenten snuggled a bit deeper into her, and looked around the room. Naruto was already in the center of everything, as usual—the card game from before was restarting so he could join in. His eyes were bright and wide and he sunk down to the tatami with a sort of childish abandon, sitting cross legged and watching Shikamaru shuffle the cards avidly.

Kiba was passing a bottle of red wine around, and three empty ones stood behind him already. Shino was sitting beside him, a slight flush in his pale cheeks—Tenten had realized after the first bottle had gone empty that tonight would be the first time they'd see a few people that usually wouldn't touch alcohol very, very drunk—and one hand on Kiba's thigh. Akamaru was curled up between their bodies. Ino was lying on her belly, jeans tight and T-shirt short, with her hair open and falling over her shoulders in a beautiful silky curtain, and she was smoking the cigarettes that both girls loved, long and pink.

Lee was bouncy and bright, grinning his head off, beside the end of the couch. His tall boyfriend had the same light flush that Shino did, and his pale disconcerting eyes were focused on the cards in Shikamaru's hands. And at the very end of the half-circle, leaned up against the couch, too beautiful to be true, was Naruto's friend Haku, who everyone had greeted with slight discomfort because it was logical to think that he worked on Slum Street... and it was just as logical to suppose that the tall, dangerous-looking man with him was his owner.

The kid's huge dark eyes were watching Naruto with a smile, and his back was against the dark, scarred man's knees. He was smoking with a natural flair.

Kankuro had sat down on the couch next to the man and was watching Ukon hog the wine bottle. His face paint was swirly today, and the black sweater and black jeans contrasted sharply with his bronze skin.

The only other person in the room was Neji's silent, stuttering cousin, who'd been dragged along by Lee. She was sitting on a chair at the window and shyly declined each offer of alcohol, snacks or cigarettes. Inviting her to the game actually got her face red as a tomato.

Tenten watched as Naruto took his cards and the game started again. The man on the couch passed the wine bottle on to Kankuro, and Kankuro introduced himself. Tenten bit back a laugh at the monosyllabic conversation that followed, and then looked back at Naruto, a little worried.

Temari muttered, "Hey—where's Gaara?"

Tenten sighed. "I don't know. Seems he's been gone for quite a while. I was the first one here, and he was out by then."

The woman tsked. "He'll be coming."

"Let's hope so." Tenten murmured.

"Is anyone else missing?"

"Yeah, Sasuke."

"Oh, right... the one Tayuya hates. Well, they still have time to get here."

Tenten laughed softly. "Yeah. Wanna join in on the next round?"

Temari accepted the bottle from Shino, eyed the contents and label critically, took a long swig, pressed into Tenten's hand, and then said, "Sure."

°

Naruto liked his birthdays. There'd been a time when he'd hated them, times when all they meant was a longer time in bed with his father and more pain, but now he liked them. A lot.

Though he'd like this one much better if Gaara were here...

He realized everyone was waiting for him to end his turn, and quickly laid down his cards. Shikamaru grunted something and peered at his hand before laying down another few, and Naruto wondered for the thousandth time where the redhead was.

The bottle was empty when it came to him, and he called, "Hey Kiba, a new bottle!"

Kiba reached behind himself and opened a new one expertly, reaching over to hand it to him. Akamaru yipped excitedly. Haku chuckled beside him and leaned over to murmur, "Having fun?"

Naruto nodded and took a gulp of the wine, handing it to Shikamaru. Kankuro and Zabuza were deep in conversation about cars, and Zabuza's hand was tangled in the fall of Haku's beautiful hair. Ukon had settled on Kankuro's lap and was poring critically over his cards.

Haku smiled at him and lit a new cigarette, saying, "I'm sure your icicle'll be here in a sec."

Naruto grinned and agreed with a nod, reaching over to take a handful of chips. His presents were lying in a pile by the room door, next to the tangle of limbs and silky and mesh that was Tenten and Temari, and he had enough cake to last him a lifetime in the kitchen.

The sky was darkening outside, heralding rain, and wind was keening against the windows.

Lee took the pile, and everyone laughed because it was what he did every time and each time they especially loaded it full of junk cards like fours and fives. Shino was tipsy enough to be actually cuddling into Kiba, and Neji got up suddenly, drawing everyone's eyes to himself. He crossed over to where his relative was sitting on her lonely chair and said, "Come on, Hinata, play with us, it's fun."

Naruto laughed and called, "Yeah, come on!"

Everyone fell silent, watching for the girl's reaction. She blushed and stammered, "W-well... all r-right."

Kiba grinned widely and raised a wine bottle Naruto hadn't even noticed he'd opened, yelling, "A toast to... Hinata... joining us!"

Everyone clapped and Hinata sat down on Haku's other side, next to Neji, blushing deeply. Haku pressed the wine bottle into her hands, smiling, and said, "I'm Haku, and you're going to drink at least three gulps of that now."

A burst of laughter sounded, and then a chorus of, "Drink, drink, drink!"

Hinata looked from the bottle to Neji, then around the circle, then at Haku, then at Neji again, and slowly raised it to her lips, drinking slowly.

The chorus continued, and when she lowered the bottle she was smiling and a deeper flush had spread over her round cheeks. She giggled and handed the bottle back to Haku, who passed it to Naruto. Shikamaru muttered dryly, "Oh look! It's a lightweight."

More laughter, and Haku draped an arm over the girl's shoulders. "No problem, I bet everyone here was a lightweight once."

"I never was!" Naruto and Kiba protested in unison, and everyone laughed again. Ino reached out lazily, placing her cards, and Kiba concentrated on his hand petting Akamaru absently. Haku offered Hinata his cigarette and everyone was treated to the sight of her grimace and coughing.

Ukon stood up and peered down at her. "I like you." He declared. "You're corruptible. Everyone else here is too messed up for me to fuck with, but you..."

She blushed and accepted the wine bottle, taking a reckless gulp, and murmured. "I-Is that really a good thing? To b-be corruptible, I mean."

Ukon giggled and said, "Of course it is! Everything fun is more fun then. Because it's fun."

"Okay, enough wine for you, piercing-boy," Kiba laughed.

Ukon flipped him off and settled back into Kankuro's lap.

Another round of laughs, and then Lee was taking the pile again and the joke was on him.

Naruto was wondering what to do with his cards—too few of anything to start a new Canasta—when he realized everyone had fallen silent. He looked up, curious, and his eyes found the door. A wide grin spread over his face and he jumped up, cards forgotten. "Gaara!"

The redhead looked around the room, nodded briefly, and crossed to Naruto's side, collapsing on the tatami with easy grace. He hooked a finger in Naruto's belt loops and dragged him down to the floor, and tucked his chin over his shoulder. His free hand cupped the blonde's hip.

Naruto leaned back into him and said, "You're late."

Everyone was watching them.

Gaara laughed under his breath and squeezed his hip in apology, then murmured coldly, "Play on."

Kiba shook his head. "Naruto, the idiot, dropped his cards. We'll start over. You joining in?"

Gaara's answering nod broke the tension, and the wine bottle traveled again. Shikamaru collected the cards and began shuffling. Hinata got another cough attack from Haku's cigarette.

Laughter again.

°

"Okay, you take the groceries, I'll get the drinks."

Sasuke nodded and leaned into the trunk of Kabuto's cards, snagging the bags of food they'd just finished buying. Hefting them, he stepped back to let Kabuto grab the crate of beer. Kabuto tossed Chouji his keys and said, "Lock the car, please."

Chouji obliged.

Aki and Tsume were laughing, playing on the ragged lawn of the family-block. It was freezing.

They'd gotten caught in utterly blocked traffic, and then the store had had a power outage and they had to wait a half an hour for the cashier to finally let them pay. So now they were an hour late.

Sasuke moved over the lawn. Chouji collected the kids, and Kabuto caught up with the teen, saying, "So who is this person whose birthday it is, anyway?"

Sasuke smiled slightly. "His name is Naruto. He's the one who moved in with the Sandman."

Kabuto laughed shortly. "Oh, _him_."

"He's a moron."

Kabuto grinned and said. "I know you're lying."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "He's my first love, too."

Oh no no no. He hadn't just said that, had he?

Kabuto was silent for a few seconds, and then said, smiling, his glasses glinting in the cold, "Well, he's got to be beyond perfect, then."

Sasuke chuckled and wanted a cigarette. "Why, because you're so perfect?"

The man grinned. "Yes."

Sasuke laughed. They reached the entrance of the family-block, and he found the sign that said 'Sabaku'. He rang the doorbell and waited.

Chouji, Aki and Tsume caught up with them just as the intercom crackled to life. "Sasuke, you bastard, that had better be you!"

"Yes, it is me, moron."

Tsume latched onto Sasuke's leg and he barely caught his balance. "Sasuke, where are you taking Tsume and Aki?" she cried, grinning.

The intercom crackled for a bit, then Naruto laughed through the system and said, "Sasuke? What the he—whatever, I'll see when you get up here."

The door buzzed, the intercom died, and Kabuto laughed, a real belly laugh. "This is going to be interesting."

Chouji looked worried. "Am I really not imposing? That sounded pretty hostile."

Sasuke sighed exasperatedly. "That's just the moron. It'll be fine."

°

Naruto appeared in the living room doorway and said, eyes wide, "Sasuke's got a kid with him!"

"What do you mean?" Kiba asked, confused.

"I mean, Sasuke's got a little girl with him!"

"Why would he do that?" Ino asked.

Haku said calmly, "Why don't we just wait till he's up here? And anyway, what's so bad about it?"

"It's not bad," Naruto said. "It's just... Sasuke... with a kid..."

"Yeah," Ino said. "Sasuke. Kids. Doesn't work."

Lee proclaimed loudly, "Perhaps Sasuke has discovered his parenting skills! His fatherly love!"

"More like motherly love," Kiba snickered.

Naruto bent over double with laughter. "M—motherly love! Ahahahaha!"

"What the hell's going on?" a familiar cold voice cut in.

Everyone's eyes snapped to the door. Sasuke was dressed all in black and his eyes were swirling with stark red. He was lighting a cigarette. Everything normal there.

Or not.

A little girl was glued to his hip, hand hooked in the waistband of his jeans. She was grinning around the room, and as they watched a boy joined her, looking around with the most frightened and heartbreakingly shy expression ever.

A tall man stepped through the door then, silver-haired and slender. His face was coolly expressionless. "Hello." he said, and smiled a little. Then he crossed to the couch and sat down next to Kankuro, introducing himself.

Sasuke said, "Happy Birthday, moron." Then he gestured behind himself, where a shy-looking teen stood. "That's Chouji, this is Tsume, this is Aki, and that's Kabuto. What game're you playing?"

He dropped a packet onto the growing pile of presents and folded into a sitting position in a feline tangle of limbs.

Naruto snapped out of it first, watching the kids snuggle into the dark-haired boy's side, and said, "Canasta. Should we restart?"

Sasuke nodded. "Sure."

Ino was next leaning over and saying hi to the kids. She offered Sasuke the wine bottle.

On the couch, Kabuto was already deep in the same conversation about extermination companies that Kankuro and Zabuza had been having before his arrival.

Kiba said, "Okay... that's the last wine bottle. What now?"

"Vodka!" Naruto, Ino and Ukon chorused.

Naruto settled back down into Gaara's cold embrace, chuckling under his breath.

Sasuke with kids... man oh man.

What was wrong with the world?

Gaara collected Naruto's cards and handed them to Shikamaru, who began shuffling again. The shy teen who'd come with Sasuke's entourage stood awkwardly outside the circle, and Shino, whose cheeks were well on the way to pink, said softly, "Come on, play with us."

Kiba seconded that loudly, as did Naruto and Lee, and Hinata, by now puffing away comfortably at one of Haku's cigarettes—Ukon was watching her proudly—raised the wine bottle and cried, slurring her words, "Y-yeah! Play wish us, Shouji!"

Chouji smiled and nodded, sitting down next to Shikamaru, and the long-awaited vodka bottles came in on Kiba's arm.

Everyone cheered.

°

"Ah, shit, Tenten, could you make some tea? Wine and vodka aren'T a good mix."

"Sure," Tenten managed, stumbling over a kitchen chair on her way to the kettle. It was dark outside and the oven clock said 20:00. Everyone had decided it was time for dinner, so Sasuke, Tenten and Naruto had weaved their way to the kitchen.

Sasuke was chopping vegetables, and Naruto was opening cans of tuna. The rice cooker was boiling away.

Naruto reached over and nudged Sasuke. Well, he tried to—it came out as more of a push. "So, Kabuto's the guy who's been making you all happy?"

Sasuke nodded. He was probably the least drunk of all of them—which was why he had been entrusted with the cutting. "Yeah."

"And those're his kids? With that pink-haired thing?" Tenten asked, clicking the kettle on and reaching more or less steadily for the teabags.

Sasuke nodded again. "Yeah."

Aforementioned kids had fallen asleep about half an hour ago, and were lying on Gaara's futon. The redhead had offered with a short jerk of his head towards the bedroom, and Chouji had carried them over as steadily as possible.

They'd been through half of the vodka six-pack.

Naruto laughed to himself suddenly, and the other two looked at him curiously.

"What?" Tenten asked.

"Oh, just that Iruka'll be pissed as hell when he and Kakashi get here and we're all drunk out of our minds."

Tenten laughed and Sasuke chuckled a little. "They should be here pretty soon, actually," Tenten said.

Naruto nodded.

The cooker pinged that it was done, and Naruto took out the steaming white rice, pouring into the waiting wok. Peanut oil was already sizzling in the black pan, and Sasuke dropped his vegetables in as well.

They waited for it to be done, Tenten finishing the tea.

Ino stuck her head in. "Hey, how's it going?"

"Great!" Tenten and Naruto said, and Sasuke hn-ed in agreement.

The blonde girl grinned at Sasuke and said, "I like that guy—Chouji?--you brought with. He's funny."

"...when he's drunk." Naruto laughed.

Tenten giggled. Sasuke cracked a smile. "I like Shino drunk," he said.

That got them all laughing. Shino had been trying to fuck Kiba in front of everyone all evening long, and Akamaru had barked his head off each time the pale teen had managed to get Kiba's shirt off. Kiba loved it, of course.

They transferred the rice and vegetables to a big bowl and poured the oily tuna fillets into a smaller one, collecting bowls and cutlery and the teapot as well as mugs, and made their swaying way back to the living room.

Gaara had joined the row of monosyllabic men on the couch, and Kabuto, Kankuro and Zabuza had welcomed him into their weird conversations—they were still on the topic of what to do when the heater broke down. Ukon had switched on the stereo and was dancing with Haku, a bottle of vodka passing between them and a glowing cigarette in the dark-haired teen's hand. It was a beautiful sight, the modtechno thrumming and their bodies undulating in the gloom—they'd turned the tall lamp on, but only enough to be able to see the cards.

Temari was playing cards with Lee, Neji, Shikamaru, Chouji and Hinata, and they were laughing uncontrollably at each other's drunken mistakes. Shino had gotten Kiba out of his pants and they were sequestered in the corner of the room farthest from the light, an indistinct lump of moving flesh. Akamaru was curled up asleep half under the couch.

"Okay, everyone, here's the food. Kakashi, Iruka and Gai should be coming soon, and then we'll do the present thing and get out the cakes... and then..." Tenten looked to Naruto fir support.

"Then... then... we'll get even more drunk!" the blonde proclaimed triumphantly.

Haku laughed and Ukon giggled, "I like that idea... we can all have an orgy!"

Hinata, of all people, looked up from her cards and slurred, "Yesh! If it'sh Ukon'sh idea, it hash to be fun!"

Neji announced solemnly—though the effect was slightly ruined by the way his shirt was unbuttoned halfway and Lee was licking his way down his chest-- "No orgies, Hinata. Orgies are bad for your health."

Kankuro laughed loudly. "Oh shit—look at him! HAHAHAHA!"

Zabuza grinned and laughed, too, and even Gaara managed a soft laugh. Tenten and Naruto gaped at them, and then began chuckling too.

Everyone got themselves a bowl of food, even Shino and Kiba crawling out of their corner and showing off their hickies and messy hair before returning to their dark niche to eat and do... well, fun things.

Ukon was showing Haku his piercings, even unbuttoning his pants to display some things that looked very painful and disturbing, until Kabkuro reached over and declared him off-limits.

Haku pouted and said he'd just want him for a little bit. Kankuro stayed adamant, and then Ukon winked at Haku and said slowly, slyly, "Not even if you get to watch?"

Kankuro's eyes widened and he looked like a fish, opening and closing his mouth, glancing back and forth between the two. "...M-maybe..." he stammered.

Zabuza laughed again and pointed at Naruto. "You, ice queen, have very fun friends."

Naruto grinned. "Of course I do! This is _me _we're talking about, after all!"

In the midst of all this, the doorbell rang.

"Ah, that's them!" Tenten said, and jumped up. They heard her greet them through the intercom, heard the door open and then she came back in. "Gai sounds very happy," she said gravely. "Be careful, Naruto."

Naruto grimaced. "Oh no."

Lee unglued himself from Neji long enough to proclaim gleefully, "Master Gai has a very nice present for you, Naruto!"

Shikamaru groaned audibly and muttered, "Doesn't sound good."

Hinata pushed her bowl away and held up the deck, smiling wildly. "New game?"

"Sure," Temari said.

"NARUTO! WHERE ARE YOU, OH FLAME OF YOUTH PERSONIFIED?"

Silence fell, until Ino muttered, dread lacing her voice, "Is he...drunk?"

Gai lurched in a few moments later, waving a green rag around. "Ah, NARUTO! See, this is your present! Is it not bursting with YOUTH? IS IT NOT?"

Naruto looked the green jumpsuit up and down, and murmured shakily, "Certainly, whatever you say, Gai."

Gaara stood and crossed over to him, muttering into his ear, "Wear that, waif, and you are _dead._"

Naruto nodded carefully. "No worries, Gaara. No worries."

Kakashi and Iruka came in next. Iruka had a big box tucked under one arm, and he smiled down at Naruto warmly. "Happy Birthday, Naruto."

Naruto grinned. "Hey, Iruka! And you too, Kakashi!"

The shopkeeper nodded and grinned, peering around.

Iruka looked, too, and took in the empty bottles, the writhing mass of flesh in the far corner, Lee and Neji's meke out fest, Gaara on the couch... "How drunk _are_ you?" he asked despairingly.

"Very," Tenten grinned.

Ukon jumped up from where he and Haku had been discussing blowjob techniques to both Kankuro and Zabuza's despair, and cried, "Finally! Presents! And... CAKE!"

°

"DRINK! DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!"

Chouji lowered the bottle and groaned, passing it on.

"Okay, Hinata, you have to say it louder than Neji did, because Chouji lost, okay?"

The girl nodded, drew a deep breath, and screamed, "PENIS!"

Tenten whistled lowly. "Wow. Am I going to have to yell it louder than that?"

Naruto grinned. "Yeah."

She drew a deep breath as well, and cried, "Penis!"

Kiba shook his head. "Nope, sorry." He pressed the vodka into her hands, and the chorus started again--"DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!"

Tenten grimaced and lowered the bottle, wiping her mouth. "Ugh... am... drunk..."

"Iruka! Your turn!"

The man moaned weakly and nodded. "P-PEANUTS!"

Tenten exploded into laughter first, then Kakashi, then everyone else.

Zabuza gasped, "B-but... it was louder..."

"Yeah," Neji agreed. "So you're clear."

Iruka smiled weakly and collapsed back into Kakashi.

And so it continued, on and on. Shino was asleep around Kiba, and Gaara was curled around Naruto, biting and kissing his neck distractingly. Tenten and Ino were a tangle of laughing limbs and Temari was watching them amusedly. Shikamaru was listening to Chouji ramble on and on about maggots. Haku and Ukon had gone all out and were grinding into each other in the doorway, half-naked and gasping and taking breaks only to play the game.

Neji and Lee had disappeared into the bathroom for half an hour a short while ago, and now they were back and drunk out of their minds. Kakashi was laughing and enjoying himself, and Iruka had stopped counting or paying attention to how many bottles they were going through. Gai was beating everyone at shouting obscenities. Kabuto and Sasuke... Kabuto and Sasuke?

"Hey, where's the bastard?" Naruto asked loudly.

Ino looked up from tickling Tenten to tears(A/N: TONGUETWISTER!!) and said, laughing, "In the kitchen... having _fun_..."

A round of laughter.

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Okaaaaaaaaay... how was that?

Next chapter will be the Morning after... °rubs hands gleefully° Hehehehe... I know something you don't know... and then after that should be the last chapter.

**Shi.no.Tenshi.desu**(sorry if I got the name wrong, can't check it up atm) brought up the possibility of a sequel... it'd be a trilogy then, HAHAHA!!! Well, yes or no? I could always bring in Itachi and the Akatsuki people and stuff... well anyway, REVIEW!!!

Again, sorry for the long wait!


	39. Chapter 39

Hellooooooooooo all!!!!!! I will try my bestest to finish this chap quickly!!!

Randomness: T.aT.u, 'Show me Love'(don't ask...just...don't.)

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Suit Square

Shikamaru's eyes opened to cold white. Tiles, he realized. White tiles. On a wall.

Then the brightness hit, and a few flashes and images of drunk people—many drunk people—crowded his mind. A dull throb began reverberating through his skull.

He closed his eyes again.

How troublesome.

He listened for the sound of voices or any other signs of life. A quiet bass rumble sounded from somewhere outside wherever he was, and he guessed that it was the guys who'd been sitting on the couch. Otherwise, there was silence but for the even breathing around him.

... wait.

Even breathing? Around him?

He cracked his eyes open again and moved his head a little.

Holy shit!

Wow.

What the fuck?

He tried to shift around, but the way that Ino's legs were draped around his hips—his _naked _hips—made it difficult. And Temari's head was trapping a few strands of his hair, so it hurt to move much. Tenten's cheek was pillowed on his chest, and she was half-awake, eyes still closed but breathing faster than that of Hinata, who was wrapped around Ino and squeezed into the farthest corner of the bathtub.

The bathtub?

How holy motherfucking troublesome.

Shikamaru grunted as Temari shifted in her sleep and pulled out some of his hair.

He leaned back into what felt like the blonde woman's very bare breasts, and closed his eyes again.

Tenten awoke fully then, and there was long pause until he felt her head move off his belly and her hair tickle a few very private parts of his body. "Holy fuck," he heard her mutter.

"Holy—_fuck_." she repeated, and then her head dropped again and she groaned a little. Presumably the alcohol had hit.

Shikamaru tried to ignore the breasts and...other things... pressing into his thighs, groin and back—one of his hands was trapped between what seemed to be Hinata's breasts and Ino's... behind...--and fall asleep again.

Instead of warm darkness falling over him, footsteps sounded from outside the room—obviously, this was the bathroom—and they seemed to be moving closer.

Gah, how annoying.

He half-opened one eye and peered blearily across the room just as the door opened. Tenten's head moved up and around, and he heard her gasp.

The tall man in the doorway looked at the tangle of flesh and limbs in the bathtub—_his_ bathtub—expressionlessly. Shikamaru felt Tenten freeze as icy green eyes shifted from her to Shikamaru and pinned both of them down. He shivered a little.

One nonexistent eyebrow rose very slightly, and then the tall figure turned around and the door closed again.

Tenten let out a long shuddering sigh of relief and looked around, noticing Shikamaru for the first time. She stretched a little and said softly, "Lucky."

Shikamaru nodded slightly and watched, annoyed, as she began shifting around, making herself comfortable. Her elbow kept on hitting right into his side, and after the third jab he fumbled his legs out from between Hinata and Ino's warm bodies, not caring whether he woke them, and managed to sit up halfway. He reched down to free his hair with a yank, then got out of the tub. Tenten sighed happily and curled up in the new space. "Thanks, Shika."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and wondered where his clothes were. A lot of stuff was tossed around the tiled floor, including a disproportionate amount of lacy lingerie, but his own clothes were hidden at the very bottom of the mess.

His head hurt, and he didn't bother with dressing fully, tugging on his jeans and then making his aching way out into the corridor.

The dim warmth was nice after the stark white of the bathroom, and the apartment was very quiet, aside from the muttering conversation to his left in the living room. He pressed a hand to his head and headed for the half-ajar kitchen door.

He blearily registered that Gaara was standing at the counter, and watched the redhead pour himself tea detachedly. The kitchen was cold, and half-empty cake forms and dirty dishes stood everywhere. A silver-haired man was sitting at the table—Shikamaru connected him vaguely with Sasuke—and drinking his own tea. He gave Shikamaru a greeting nod and his round glasses flashed.

Shikamaru watched Gaara sit down across from the man, moving fluidly and looking perfectly healthy—come to think of it, the other man looked a bit to awake to be legal after a night like this one, too. He took the redhead's place at the counter and filled himself a mug of hot steaming tea as well. Sipping at it, he squinted around the room.

The window was open and the crate of beer was very empty. A collection of empty bottles stood under the window, and in one corner Sasuke was sleeping on the floor.

Shikamaru's eyes skipped further, then wrenched back.

Sasuke. Asleep. Naked. ON THE FLOOR.

Shikamaru stared, blinked, and then looked at the men at the table. The one who'd come with Sasuke was talking about tea, and Gaara was nodding from time to time, very slightly.

Well, from now on Shikamaru knew one thing; Naruto's birthday parties at Gaara's place were very, very... troublesome.

°

He groaned a little as dull pain hit his head and light burned too brightly into his eyes.

"Oh, he's awake." Was that Kankuro?

He uncurled from the weird fetal position he'd been in, and realized slowly that he was asleep on the floor. He groaned again and wondered what was going on.

Wait...right... birthday, birthday party. Vodka. Beer. Wine. Sex.

Sex?

Ohhhh yes...

Sex with Gaara. Over the couch, on the redhead's lap, on the floor, in the doorway. In front of every-fucking-one. There'd been catcalls.

If he'd been alive enough, he'd have been blushing.

Oh, and Haku and Ukon. Doing a striptease and them performing various sexual acts on each other in Kankuro and Zabuza's laps. That had been entertaining, too.

Naruto opened his eyes slightly and winced at the light streaming in. He sat up very, very slowly and glanced around, careful not to move his head too quickly.

"Hey, ice queen. Welcome to the land of the living," Zabuza grinned from the couch. His scars looked particularly grotesque in the early morning light.

Naruto grunted something in response and peered blearily further. Kankuro was sitting next to Zabuza. They were both leaning forward, supporting themselves on their knees, and drinking something that smelled deliciously like tea.

At the end of the couch, on the floor, Neji and Lee were lying curled up around each other. They'd made a nest of Neji's pale T-shirt and sweater and Lee's head was pillowed on the taller kid's collarbone.

Haku and Ukon were a mess of black and green hair and pale smooth skin, entwined on one end of the couch. Haku's slim legs were wrapped around the other man's waist and Ukon's one arm was draped over Kankuro's lap, his whole body stretched out luxuriously over the man's thighs and under Haku's slender form. Sitting against the couch beneath them, Chouji was smiling blissfully in his sleep, and Naruto vaguely remembered something with him, Ino and Shikamaru and lots and lots of the icing off Lee's frightening creation of a cake.

Shino and Kiba were lying over in their corner with Akamaru sitting expectantly in front of them, tail wagging. Kiba was snoring softly, and Shino had cuddled into him so that they looked like one person.

Naruto shifted a little, adjusting his hands on the tatami, and winced when his palm rested heavily on something sharp. He glanced down, smiling a little when he saw that it was one of the intricate paper stars that Tenten had included with her and Ino's present.

Speaking of presents... he looked over to where the pile lay. He'd gotten a lot of very strange stuff—Gai's jumpsuit being rather on the tame side—and a lot of very funny stuff. Ino and Tenten had invested in a girl's school uniform and a collection of very embarrassing toys. Lee had given him a book by Marx. Sasuke had bought him a new T-shirt and a few packets of instant ramen. Kankuro and Ukon had watched Naruto open their present—a book of stupid jokes and a pack of flavored condoms—while holding back laughter.--Did they really think Gaara and Naruto used those?

Kiba had come up with a bottle of expensive vodka, and Shino had dropped a naked bug into his hand, slurring that if the bug moved right after five seconds of touching Naruto's skin, Naruto's next year would be a lucky one. Everyone had waited with bated breath, and then the stupid thing had walked in a straight line.

Oh well.

Iruka and Kakashi had gotten him all the works for fresh ramen—not only the noodles, but also the miso and the salt and the sea weed and the fish cakes... the only things Naruto would have add were meat and vegetables. They had left at around two in the morning and dragged Gai with him, because Iruka was really beyond funny drunk and Gai was just annoying the hell out of everyone.

And Gaara... oh well.

Naruto supposed it _had _been a bit too much to expect Gaara to get him a present, but still... He got up carefully, gripping his forehead painfully. Kankuro and Zabuza chuckled a little, and he flipped them off. They just chuckled harder and went back to sipping their tea.

Naruto tottered into the bathroom, then froze.

He stared at the people in the tub incredulously, and Tenten waved lazily and painfully. "'Morning... don't ask."

Naruto swallowed hard, stared at all those naked breasts and butts and... ick, nodded, and left again. He stopped short out in the corridor, though, and stormed back in. "WHAT THE HELL?!"

Tenten groaned in agony. "..O—ow..."

Naruto shook his head, then regretted it, then gasped, "All of you—in the place where I—Ugh! I shower in there, dammit! I don't want to know that there's been a wild lesbian orgy in there!"

"Actually, it wasn't lesbian. Shikamaru was there too. And Chouji for a while, but then he puked all over Temari and she threw him out." Tenten clarified, frowning a little.

Naruto shuddered. "Ugh!" he exclaimed again, and hurried out.

Ukon came swaying in, muttering, "What's all this noise... ah fuck, I need to puke..."

He hurried into the bathroom, there was the unmistakable sound of a stomach being emptied the wrong way, and then silence. Then, "HINATA! I'm SO proud of you!"

Zabuza laughed from the living room. Loudly.

°

The murmur of voices and laughter from the living room sounded nice and...homey. Every now and then Aki and Tsume, the kids of Sasuke's guy, would shriek or laugh loudly, and there'd be an agonized silence for a few moments until conversation and the rustling of packaging continued—they'd not bothered with any real breakfast, just digging into the cakes that still littered the living room tatami.

Naruto was making the fifth pot of tea in the kitchen. By the second, everyone's hangovers and aches had been down to a level where they felt more or less alive, even Hinata waking up and returning to herself enough to withdraw into mortified silence. She'd scared everyone earlier by shrieking loudly upon noticing that she was naked in a bathtub with four other females, in very compromising position, no less.

Naruto chuckled to himself. Good times.

He poured the hot water over the teabags in the first pot, then in the second.

Gaara had been the usual distant redhead he knew all morning long, none of last night's slight warmth visible anymore.

Naruto shook his head at himself. What did he expect? It was Gaara, after all.

A flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye made him glance over.

"GAH! Gaara! You know I hate it when you do tha—Gaara?"

The redhead had closed the kitchen door behind himself with a click, and now he leaned down to crush their lips together ferociously. One hand kept Naruto's head pressed close, while the other was off somewhere... not that Naruto cared where...

Naruto moaned into the kiss and clutched at Gaara's shirt. His eyes closed, and for a second he had a flashback of Gaara fucking him roughly into the floor, and neither of them caring that they were surrounded by everyone's eyes... the simple memory sent a hot and wild stab of arousal shivering through his spine. He pressed himself closer to Gaara, panting.

Gaara's both hands came up to hold his face still, and he broke the kiss. He stared into Naruto's eyes, green soaking through him and drowning him and taking him over. Then suddenly the cold deep green moved to the side of Naruto's face, and one of those rough hands slid down, there was a feeling of cold metal on his earlobe, and then a sudden stab of pain--

"Ow! Gaara, what--" Naruto stopped short when he saw Gaara's expression.

The redhead was staring down at him, his fingers rolling Naruto's aching earlobe between them, and his eyes had darkened. His breath was coming faster than normal, and slowly he raised his fingers to his mouth, licking blood off of them.

Naruto's breath hitched and he reached up slowly to feel his ear. A hard, sharp-edged nub protruded from his skin, and the soft flesh was wet. His fingers came away red. "An e-earring?"

Gaara grabbed for his hand and stared at the blood on his skin, his eyes darkening even further, almost melting, burning with lust. Naruto reached for support on the counter, his whole body aching. Oh fuck... he didn't think he'd ever seen such an utterly desperate expression on Gaara's face before. It was frightening.

It was fucking amazing.

Gaara slowly licked the blood off of Naruto's fingers, his eyes pinning the blonde to the spot. Naruto moaned at the whole mixture of sensations, and gasped, "Oh...God... Gaara..."

The redhead snarled softly, helplessly, urgently, and then he was grinding into Naruto with what felt like all of his impressive strength, one hand struggling violently to drop Naruto's jeans. The other buried itself in blonde hair and dragged the kid close and tight, hot slender lips and sharp teeth descending on the bloody earring and sucking, nibbling--

Naruto half-screamed, his hands forcing his jeans down and then pushing at Gaara's chest-- "Let me turn around, come on, I want you in me,--please--oh fuck—_please_--"

Gaara gasped hoarsely and his mouth left Naruto's ear, his hands slamming him around and his erection pushing hard up against his buttocks, the jeans unzipped rapidly and then--

"Gaara! Yes!--Oh--I--!"

Naruto arched and raised one leg, trying to spread himself wider so that Gaara could-- "D-deeper--"

Gaara's hand suddenly grabbed at his hair and tilted his head to the side, and Naruto realized he was looking at the earring. The redhead's breathing hitched and his thrusts intensified, Naruto yelping with each hot hard stroke that slammed him up against the counter.

The blonde reached up and behind himself, looping his arms back around Gaara's neck and raising his legs further so that his feet were actually on the counter and his back was arched tight. The redhead groaned under his breath and fucked him deeper. Naruto buried his face in the crook of his neck, moaning into hot pale skin.

He couldn't stand much more of this, each fiery stroke slamming into him just there, just right, just so utterly and holy fucking _PERFECT_--

He tensed all over, so abruptly that it felt as though he'd torn muscles in his back, and his mouth opened in a helpless sob as he came hard enough to make his vision go dark for a moment.

Gaara snarled and his hands dug into Naruto's sides and then warm liquid filled the blonde and in a cold, breathless whisper Gaara said, "Happy Birthday, _Naruto_."

Naruto moaned and settled back onto the floor, collapsing over the counter. "That—that was..."

Gaara stayed inside him, sliding his T-shirt up and—feeling?--Naruto's skin, stroking it roughly.

"What are you doing?" Naruto panted, still breathless from his orgasm. The earring ached and he wanted to look at it.

Gaara didn't answer, pulling his hips back and intensifying whatever sort of inspection he was doing on Naruto's back. Naruto pouted. "What are you doing? Come on, I wanna kn--"

He froze as cold metal began tracing the same pattern that Gaara's hand had been, an sort of 'V' that started a few inches above his buttocks on the right side, slid down in a curve all the way to where his cleft just started and then up again.

The knife cut just as Naruto started to speak again, and as a result what he wanted to say came out as a strangled moan, and pleasure stirred sharply below the knife.

Gaara carved something intricate into him, very slowly, carefully, and Naruto couldn't even start to try to trace what he was writing, because the pleasure was even greater than it had been when the redhead had carved the kanji into his side... this area was so much more sensitive--

"Ah—Ga-Gaara!"

By the time the knife reached the lowest point, the thin skin just above where Naruto's flesh began to curve out, the blonde was trembling and sobbing uncontrollably, barely supporting himself on his arms on the counter.

"Deeper..."

The redhead's breathed stopped and started again, sharply, and the knife slipped, by maybe a millimeter. The next cut _was_ deeper, and oh-so-hot and cold and burning...

Naruto gasped for breath, arching but at the same time trying not to move, and Gaara was hard again inside him...

The knife carved up, up and over, and then the last curve was cut and Naruto sobbed, "No...more..."

And the knife narrowly missed his wrist and Gaara leaned over him, stabbing the blade down into the plastic of the counter and his hips drawing back and THRUSTING.

Naruto buried his scream in his arm and his legs stopped supporting him. Gaara left the knife on the counter and gripped the blonde's thighs, spreading them and fucking him deep and hard and wild, and it was going to be over much much much too quickly...

Naruto panted harshly into his skin, the burn of the cuts on his back providing the last touch to make the sex perfect, the violent thrusts and the pain and the hot and melting pleasure roiling inside him added to the cold fire of the bleeding cut... he arched and came with Gaara's pants hard in his ear, moaning breathlessly.

Gaara buried his face in his hair and a snarl hummed through Naruto's skin.

They separated slowly.

Naruto caught his breath and pulled up his pants, reaching behind himself to feel the wet outlines of the cut. "What does it say?" he asked.

Gaara just almost-grinned and dressed quickly, before leaving the room.

Naruto watched him go, then hurried to the door and called, "Thank you!"

He tried to save the tea, warm and relaxed beyond belief.

"Thank you for the presents," he murmured to himself, grinning, fingering the earring.

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MUAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

DO I NOT ROCK?!

It's a fast update!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BOW DOWN BEFORE ME!!!

...okay, just kidding.

Anyway, reviews are luffled much.

..Oh and how many people here hate mpreg? Hmm? GaaNaru mpreg? Hmm? °fails at being subtle°


	40. Chapter 40

Hehehe I had a quick update... let's see if I can get this one up as fast, huh?

Randomness: Korpiklaani, 'Tuli Kokko'.

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Suit Square

His T-shirt scraped irritatingly at the scabbed-over symbols on his lower back, and he cursed the fact that he'd worn the one he'd gotten from Sasuke—his old one was much softer and washed-out, and wouldn't have snagged as much on the scabs.

But hey, he had to look at least halfway presentable, so he'd worn his cleaner and less ripped jeans, the new T-shirt, and a thick blue sweater under his leather coat. The bus was stuffy and lurched from side to side like a roller coaster, going way too fast to avoid getting caught in the traffic jam that steadily building up in front of them.

A lot of housewives back from their morning shopping and a few kids skipping school filled the bus, chattering away. The teenagers were showing off the modtechno ring tones on their cellphones, and the tinny noise was creating a dull ache behind Naruto's left ear.

It had been two weeks since the party. Gaara had gotten another new job—he'd been fired for some reason, and Naruto wasn't sure whether he even wanted to know..., construction again. It was a nice rhythm, Naruto going out to shop and to look for work and Gaara leaving for whatever site he was on at the moment, afternoons sometimes at the Konoha and evenings in comfortable silence or one-sided conversations.

It was raining outside.

Naruto reached into his pocket and fumbled out the piece of paper he's scribbled the address on. Two more stops.

He'd been having a lot of trouble finding work, just because he was too young. Technically anyone under sixteen wasn't even allowed to earn money, and after sixteen it was at most one hundred chips a month. Naruto knew that lying about his age could get him into big trouble, and so he'd decided to be honest about it with each prospective boss.

That had gotten him mostly disappointments, and the only people who still accepted him were the ones whose businesses turned out to be something _very _different from what they'd advertised. Naruto hadn't left Whore to end up chained to a bed in some back room. Even Slum had had more class than that, and besides, if Gaara ever found out Naruto was doing something like that, the blonde would be very dead.

This person had accepted him—she sounded nice enough over the phone, if a bit weird,and it seemed to be a serious cleaning job, not one of those where they dressed you up in little maid outfits and got a kick out of watching you water their plants.

He got off at the right stop—it was in the vague area of Slum Street, a wide street lined with businesses and warehouses. The wind was icy, and the rain whipped at him.

He counted down the houses till he found the warehouse, and rang the right bell.

A cool, professional voice crackled through the system. "Hello?"

"Um—hi, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, I'm here for that cleaning thing?"

There was a pause, and Naruto heard the person yell, "Oy! There's someone here who's talking about clean—oh okay. Okay, I'll buzz you up, it's the third floor. Just knock again."

Naruto pressed the door open and his eyes widened slightly. It wasn't a real warehouse, obviously.

There was a rickety makeshift ladder leading up right in front of him, and two massive red-painted doors on the opposite wall. The windows that lined the warehouse's tall wall let in enough cold light for him to see that it had all been sectioned off with makeshift walls—there were three ladders placed along the length of the high narrow corridor between the entrance wall and the wall with the doors.

Above the first doors was a rickety metal railing and a narrow walkway, and two more doors. Above that another a pair, and above that another. The plain metal pipes and rust of the original warehouse walls contrasted sharply with the off-white texture of the makeshift ones, and colorful pictures of people and words were painted everywhere.

It was one of those weird artist communities, Naruto guessed, and reached for the first rung on the ladder. It creaked ominously, and he gingerly climbed up to the third level. He could look down onto the street through the high windows, and it felt kind of exhilarating.

He got off the ladder—it shook worryingly—at the third floor, and stepped carefully onto the walkway. Thankfully it didn't creak or shudder or anything.

He checked the closest door for a sign or anything, and didn't get it until he finally looked _at_ the door... In big fat red letters on a black background, the four-letter name was spelled out very obviously. Naruto sighed at himself and knocked twice.

After a few moments, the heavy metal door slid to one side with a screech of rusty rollers and a dark-haired woman smiled at him coolly. "Hey. Come in."

He followed her in, surreptitiously assessing her. She was tallish, rather curvy and was wearing only a short, black-and-white patterned dress. Her hair was thick and wavy, a dark glossy brown. Her face was distant and rather stern, and she had amazing, blood-red eyes. The things genetic engineering could do...

She led him through an entrance area where he hurriedly slipped off his sneakers, and then into a massive, sprawling room that was illuminated only by rows of tall windows on two sides. Paintings and wall pictures and clothes and books lay scattered around everywhere.

There was a small niche screened off in one corner of the huge room, but otherwise it was all one—Naruto saw a big messy bed over by one of the window-lined walls, and one corner had an oven and a sink and a few tall shelves in it—the kitchen. The only other furniture were a soft-looking couch and two overstuffed sofa chairs.

A massive canvas almost twice as tall as Naruto was fastened to a stand in front of the couch, and another person was lying sprawled on the blankets and cushions of the seat, glaring hotly at the painting on it.

She looked fearsome, small and petite but with sharp and angry dark eyes. Her hair was cut short and spiky and stuck up a little at the back, as if she hadn't brushed it or something. She was wearing only a long creamy tan sweater and in one hand she held a cigarette, in the other a golden brown bottle, and a half-eaten stick of _dango_ dangled from one corner of her very red-painted mouth.

She looked up as the woman who'd led Naruto in sat down next to her, and then her glare struck the blonde. She put down the bottle on an amazingly uncluttered section of the floor, and said sharply, "So, you're the kid? The one who wanted to clean?"

Naruto nodded, grinning. "Yeah, that's me." He liked this place; it was so fucking weird.

She gestured around lazily. "Well, get started then. There should be brooms and stuff and rags and maybe even detergent up front in the entrance area. You get three chips an hour, but if I see you dawdling you're as fired as fired can be."

Naruto laughed. "Sure."

So he went and found her meager supply of cleaning things, and started in the farthest corner, glancing up every now and then from clearing away all the debris to watch as the first woman modeled naked on the other end of the couch from the painter. His employer ate a lot of dango and she painted the other woman with thick heavy strokes on the massive canvas, the lines curving beautifully but harshly.

°

"Oh, hey!"

Naruto nodded around the Konoha, "Hey."

Shino and Kiba were gone, presumably begging, but otherwise everyone was there, except for Gai and Iruka. Sasuke was smoking and listening to music over Ino's cellphone, Ino and Tenten were gossiping, Shikamaru was in his usual coma thing, Lee and Neji were talking quietly, and Kakashi was reading his perverted books.

Sasuke slid off the headphones as Naruto sat down on his mattress, and nodded in greeting. "Moron."

Naruo laughed and punched him. "Hey, bastard. What's up?"

Sasuke shrugged gracefully and said, "Not much."

Ino called, "Yeah, but like, how's it going with Kabuto?"

Kakashi cracked up. "Oh my God, I still can't believe you slept on the kitchen floor."

Sasuke flipped him off and muttered, "I was tired. And besides, I could have done worse," he gestured dryly towards Ino and Tenten, "Right, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru grunted in annoyance. "Tch. Shut up."

Ino and Tenten laughed, and Neji muttered in amusement, "I never though Hinata had such hidden depths."

There was a silence, and then everyone except Neji laughed.

Neji looked around. "It wasn't _that _funny," he said slowly.

Kakashi snorted helplessly. "Don't you get it? 'Hidden depths'? AHAHAHA!"

"Oh, ugh!" The tall kid exclaimed, and he shook his head frantically. "No. Stop that!"

Naruto calmed down, grinning. "Heh. Welcome to the land of gutter-mind, Neji."

Sasuke chuckled. "Too true."

"Hey, has Haku been here again?"

Sasuke nodded. Tenten said, "He visited yesterday in the afternoon, and we had some vodka. We went down to Suit Square and played at the video game place. It was really fun, next time you're here we'll repeat it, okay?"

Naruto nodded, smiling. "Sure. I'll bet Haku totally owned all of you."

Ino groaned. "Don't remind me... damn but he's good."

Naruto laughed. "I know. Back when I was on Slum we used to go down to the slot-machines at the bars, and he'd win _every time_. No joke. It was almost scary."

"What was scary?"

Everyone looked up. "Speak of the devil!" Ino exclaimed.

Haku grinned down at them and sunk gracefully down onto the mattress next to Naruto. "Hey, sweetheart."

Naruto hit him. "Don't call me that!"

Haku exhaled a plume of smoke and feigned shock. "Why not?"

Naruto stuck out his tongue.

It was around three in the afternoon, and it had taken him three whole hours to do all of Ms. Anko's apartment—he had no idea how anyone could have so much _stuff _to sort and put away. She'd made him cook lunch, but he'd gotten some of it, so it was okay. He was supposed to come back in two days... three times a week, no four, she wanted him to come on weekends too...err...four times nine... thirty-six cel a week! That was okay. That made one hundred and forty-four a month. Pretty good.

Tenten said, "Hey, Haku, Temari told me to tell you that Ukon says hi."

Haku laughed. "Oh man... that was fun. Tell her to say hi back?"

"Sure."

"Thanks."

Sasuke suddenly stood up, and everyone looked at him. Tenten smiled knowingly. "Kabuto?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and nodded. He hit Naruto on the shoulder, nodded around at everyone else, then left.

Naruto grinned. "He's in looooooooooooooooove!"

Everyone cracked up, and Haku said, "Yeah, and you aren't?"

"Of course I am! But I'm not in denial."

"Well Sasuke is the definition of denial," Kakashi said. "Can't really expect anything else now can you?"

There were nods of agreement, and chuckles.

°

Naruto sighed and stretched without thinking. He bit back a yelp as some of the scabs on his back opened. Because it was such a sensitive area, and because whenever he bent down to get something he stretched it, the cuts were healing slowly. Besides, Gaara had taken a lot more care to make sure that this one would be a permanently visible scar, and so he'd re-sliced it at least three times. As a result, the skin was taking even more time to recuperate.

Naruto had finished dinner, and he'd bought _yakon _for Gaara, just because he'd seen it on sale and because it had red wrapping.

Hell, he was becoming a real housewife.

He winced at the memories that that thought triggered, and concentrated on his magazine again. The window was open a little to clear out the cooking fumes, and the tiles were cold on his bare feet. The sun was going down outside, and the rain had started up again.

He stared unseeingly at a picture of one of the current modtechno stars, then gave up on the sordid details of star lifestyle and leaned back, wincing a little as the scabs stung.

He smiled to himself.

Damn.

He was so fucking happy.

Even though every word he said to Gaara was his potential death sentence and every day he wondered how long this could last, he loved it. And he loved Gaara.

He loved Gaara.

Naruto grinned, shook his head incredulously as his sappiness, and got up to look, again, for probably the hundredth time, at his new cuts.

"GAH!" he exclaimed, backpedaling.

Gaara huffed a little amused chuckle and kissed him roughly. He smelled of work and dust and his hair was messier than usual. Naruto leaned into the kiss, and felt Gaara's hand slide up beneath his T-shirt, fingers tracing the bleeding scabs roughly.

It was all in old Eastern, but not _kanji_—just linked old Eastern symbols, spelling out '_Sabaku Gaara_'.

Naruto shivered in delicious pain and kissed Gaara back deeply.

Now he really _was _branded as his.

Forever.

°

Aki held up his plate for more, and Tsume stabbed moodily at the last of her pickled ginger. Sasuke watched them with a slightly amused smile. Kabuto was fascinated, as usual, by the kid's appearance, the way the stormy light reflected in his hair and the stark red gleamed in his eyes.

Sasuke gave Aki more food and then settled back into his chair.

He reached out to tap the ash off his cigarette, and his eyes met Kabuto's They both smiled.

Kabuto didn't even want to fuck him just now. He just wanted... "Come here," he murmured.

Sasuke looked a little confused, but got up and moved towards him. The light shifted in his hair and his skin glowed. The children looked up from their plates, and Kabuto pulled the boy into his lap, curling an am around his hips and pressing his face into one pale cool shoulder.

Sasuke didn't say anything, just relaxed into him. The only sounds and movements were those of the children's chopsticks and Sasuke's smoking.

After a few moments, Sasuke murmured, "What's going on?"

Kabuto laughed softly. "Nothing," he said. "Nothing at all."

Sasuke twisted his head around and his black lashes shadowed sharply against his high pale cheekbones. "Really?"

Kabuto tightened his grip around slim hips and whispered, "The divorce went through."

Black widened, red flashed and disappeared, and then reappeared stronger than ever, spinning fast. Sasuke started to smile fully, caught himself. He leaned back into Kabuto, and silence reigned for another while, until his cigarette was finished.

Lighting a new one, he let out a plume of smoke and said softly, his icy voice warmer than usual, "That's..."

He took a deep drag, exhaled, then-- "...Really, really great."

Kabuto laughed and pressed his slim warmth even closer.

He hoped this would continue for a long, long time.

No.

It _would _continue.

The End

°

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And?!

And?!

AND?!

Before you get all pissed that there are still loose ends(I'm _sure _I forgot something), there will be a sequel. It will be Mpreg. There will be devious schemes by Tayuya. Itachi and the few Akatsuki I know will make an appearance.

...so...yeah...

REVIEW!!!

Much love to EVERYONE who's helped me with this fic, most prominently **Tsukie** and **Arie Date**, the person I know as **lonelycandyangel **as well as **BAMBI.**, and last but not least—ALL of you BEYOND AWESOME REVIEWERS.

You rock MY WORLD.

...now, how about... you rock it some more, and ALL review, and we make it to 500?

How's that sound?

Asterixa thanks you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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